BeReal is the new social media that seems to be rising in popularity.
Released in 2020, BeReal has only recently begun soaring to the top of download charts worldwide.
What is BeReal?
BeReal is the creation of French entrepreneurs Alexis Barreyat, a former media producer at GoPro, and Kevin Perreau.
In August, a media and information brand for the app industry, Business of Apps reported BeReal had 21.6 million monthly active users.
It’s a fraction of Instagram’s roughly 1 billion monthly active users.
How does it work?
Once a day, at a random time, the app notifies users that it’s “time to BeReal”.
When the user opens the app, a two-minute timer appears at the top, giving them a limited amount of time to take a photo of whatever they’re doing at that moment.
The photos are only shared with people you choose to follow, who also follow you.
There are also a few hurdles.
You’re advised not to retake a photo. If you do, it shares with your friends how many retakes you took.
And if you take a photo late, the app labels your photo with “X hours late”.
Experts believe that people find BeReal appealing because it promotes itself as a contrast to other apps often seen as a competition for fame and followers.
