BeReal is the new social media app on the block, and it’s here to stay
BeReal is a new social media app, and for many students, such as juniors Kayla Winter, Sadie Johnson and Gabbi Fasciano, the app has quickly become a favorite. The app prompts users to take a photo at a set time, encouraging people to show what they’re doing in the moment.
Walking the halls on campus, many students have most likely heard the words “It’s BeReal time!” at least once. The newest social media platform to captivate teens, BeReal claims to be a “unique way to discover who your friends really are”.
“It is really different from other social media,” senior Natalie Wilson said. “It is spontaneous, but not something that you can spend all day on staring at other people’s posts. It gets boring fast.”
Revolving around authenticity, BeReal spontaneously prompts users to post one photo at a time determined by the app, capturing your friends in real-time.
“It shows that not everyone is going out or hanging out with friends every second of the day,” Wilson said. “It shows that maybe not every day is perfect, but there are moments that you can shed some light on using BeReal. It makes me really happy.”
Being a new platform, it is up to BeReal’s users to determine the truth behind its promise of connection without careful curation.
“I really like that you can only post once a day,” junior Kayla Winter said. “Also, the lack of filters or editing tools separates it from other apps such as Instagram and Snapchat. I believe that the fundamentally different design discourages fakeness.”
Likewise, 6-month-long user senior Grace DeShetler favors BeReal as a healthier version of social media.
“It forces people to show an unfiltered version of their lives,” Deshetler said. “It can be super relieving to open a social media app and get to see your friends without it being a competition of who’s having more fun. Knowing that within the next 24 hours the post will be deleted and nobody can see it takes off a lot of the pressure to look good and things like that.”
BeReal is currently rising in the ranks of app charts, with its popularity exploding in the past few months as users invite their friends to join.
“I can see this app creating new friendships,” senior Mathis Cox said. “It shows who people really are and what they are really doing. Being able to get a glimpse into my friends’ lives makes me feel more connected to them.”
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Throughout the weeks, the time that the BeReal app goes off changes. Sometimes, the app goes off early in the morning or late at night.
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Oftentimes, the app will go off when students are with friends. Seniors Grace Deshetler, Lili Adams and Mckenna Clerkin (left to right) were able to capture their friendship in real time.
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For senior Dev Sheth, the app went off at the perfect time. He was able to snap a photo at a Kid Cudi concert.
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As the app allows students to document aspects of their daily lives, it often goes off during school hours or school events. Juniors Sadie Johnson, Kayla Winter, and Gabbi Fasciano (top to bottom) were able to use the BeReal at a football game.
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Jordan Battey is a Senior entering her fourth year of contributing to Wingspan. She is beyond excited to begin this final year of expanding her own knowldge...
