Let’s BeReal
By Steven-Ross Bugayong | Published October 28, 2022
Social media is supposed to be fun, yet people stress too much about how they portray themselves online. People spend hours on filters, perfect snapshots, and curated moments to pretend our thoughts and lives are worth living. But what’s the point?
Is anything authentic in how we portray ourselves on social media? With every app that comes and goes, none preaches realness as much as the social media app BeReal.
BeReal is a french social media app that was released in 2020. After a couple of years of obscurity, the app rose to popularity in the middle of 2022.
The app encourages authentic moments by giving users two minutes to capture an image, otherwise the post is flagged as late. The hope is to have the users be their true selves.
The popularity of BeReal is undoubtedly on the rise among people, including students at Kean University.
Andrea Velaquez, a sophomore communication major, has a following of 32 thousand on TikTok. She says that BeReal feels more authentic than apps like Instagram or TikTok.
“I like how I don’t have to overthink what I have to post or try to have a special point of view to make my page more exciting,” Velaquez said. “Some days, the BeReal alert goes off when I’m doing homework or in bed. Even though it doesn’t seem as exciting as posting a pic at a concert, it still shows a different side of my friends who also use the app and me.”
Norman Ayala, a senior communication major, has also become entirely fond of the BeReal app, saying that the app is more relaxing compared to other forms of social media.
“I like how spontaneous it is,” Ayala said. “The post requires no effort. They’re completely random, and seeing other people’s posts is fun. It’s like we get a closer glimpse into our friends’ lives.”
With all new forms of social media, comes criticism. Even though BeReal is a newly popular thing, it doesn’t mean everyone is on board.
Justin DosSantos, a senior psychology major, feels that BeReal is boring.
“It’s pointless and just as fake as the other social media apps,” DosSantos said. “I had the app for two weeks and then deleted it. I get what the message of the app is. But realistically, no form of social media is ever natural. It’s become saturated within the next few months; people will find another thing to post and do.”
Social media has become a place where people let their insecurities run. However, it’s also a place where people can express themselves. The majority of college students have a form of social media. In the digital age, it’s hard not to.
The lines have been drawn to what is real and what is fake. As social media comes and goes, the post becomes more fabricated, and the fixture of the world becomes a blurred line. It’s important to have apps like this where we sit back without thinking and be real about who we are.