4.70 billion individuals worldwide are active on social media. Of all users, 68% are between the ages of 14 and 22. 

Social media is taking over the lives of younger generations. With added pressure to portray a picture-perfect life through the small squares of an Instagram feed, everything is filtered. Yet, overly curated norms are being challenged by one app attempting to change it all…

   BeReal, a photo-sharing social media app, is the latest Gen-Z craze. Initially invented in 2020 by a French creator, downloads have risen 315% since the beginning of the year (Social Media Today). 

   Once a day, the app simultaneously notifies you that it’s “time to Be Real.” Receiving the notification activates a two-minute timer, restricting the amount of time allotted to snap and share a picture. Using both your front and back cameras, the app requires you to take a selfie and a photo of your surroundings. 

  BeReal presents the idea of sharing raw, unfiltered moments without the pressure of followers or likes. A timed photo session paired with dual-camera technology seems like the perfect solution for creating an unfiltered and authentic social media app. As stated in the App Store description, “BeReal is life, Real life, and this life is without filters.”

  But while the app stays true to one promise, it lacks in the other.

  Yes, BeReal is a photo-sharing program with no manually made filters. However, the app fails to uphold its claimed level of authenticity. 

   Not mentioned in many media sources’ praiseful reviews is the ability to retake your BeReal. Throughout the day, users can delete and retake their photos as many times as they please. Therefore, what’s stopping someone from finding the perfect lighting or posing with the perfect angle? NOTHING! Thus, the admirable point of the app loses appreciation. 

  Additionally, users are allowed to post late BeReals even if the two-minute timer attached to the daily notification runs out. Therefore, what’s stopping someone from waiting to capture the most exciting moment of their day? Once again, NOTHING! The ability to post whatever you want whenever you want defeats the entire purpose of being genuine. Users can easily nitpick public content, further emphasizing the main problem of social media: the idea of striving for a picture-perfect life. 

  That being said, BeReal’s progressive strides should not be diminished. While the app’s flaws are evident, the message should be digested and understood by all social media users.

  For the entire user base, social media should be a place of positivity where individuals can create, innovate, and motivate. Yet, we are mistreating apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Tik Tok by turning them into unrealistic bragging outlets.  

  Content creators and celebrities instill the idea of obtaining a picture-perfect life into young generations. Such accounts with millions of followers promote unhealthy comparisons, claiming that they worked for their hourglass body or their glassy skin comes from a 10-step night routine.

  But at the end of the day, let’s BeReal… it’s all fake!