All our lives, we’ve been told never fully to believe the things we come across on social media. Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are platforms that have all been notorious for rampant dishonesty in their posts, especially when it comes to events in users’ lives. Social media platforms allow users to put a “filter” on the life they show to others. It’s a challenge to decipher the authenticity of the lives we see online. With the constant exposure to the unattainable and unrealistic lifestyles that we see on social media, it’s easy to compare our everyday lives to the perfect shows they put on. To answer this dilemma, BeReal, a popular photo-sharing app, steps away from the glitz and glam of social media and instead promotes the authentic, mundane occurrences of our everyday lives.
BeReal, just as its name suggests, encourages users to be real using its distinctive, unorthodox features. Every day, at random times, the app notifies users that it’s “Time to BeReal,” allotting only two minutes for users to capture whatever it is they’re doing. Another unique feature of the app is that it simultaneously makes use of both the front and back cameras to see what you look while going about your daily life. After posting a BeReal, users can then interact with others through comments and yet another special feature: the RealMoji. Instead of having “likes,” the app allows users to recreate several emoji reactions through selfies to convey what they feel about their friend’s BeReal.
Although the app was released way back in 2020, it has only recently gained popularity and recognition for its unique approach to sharing photos online – and rightfully so. BeReal removes any opportunity for its users to control and edit what they share online. It steps away from the ever-so-established practice of only showing the “good parts” of our lives. The app gives users the chance to show glimpses of their everyday lives without the pressing need to make it exciting or aesthetically pleasing. And, because the app only allows users to post one photo per day, it avoids the problem of addiction, which differs completely from traditional social media platforms.
Although BeReal lives up to its name, controlling what we share online is unavoidable. Since you don’t necessarily have to take a BeReal the moment the notification pops up, users can wait until something exciting happens in their day and then showcase it on the app. Even in an app that caters to the idea of authenticity, many people still choose to only show the good, exciting parts of their lives. This takes away the purpose of BeReal and shows just how much social media has normalized dishonesty. When it comes to the things we share online, we somehow feel the need to perform. We feel the need to show others how good of a life we’re living even though the moments we share do not completely define our lives. We end up having to fake our way through to match and keep up with the extravagant, momentous lives we are constantly subjected to. The lives we share online end up distorting reality for the sole purpose of gaining admiration and approval from others.
With BeReal on the rise amidst rampant dishonesty online, this begs the question: can we really be authentic and fully honest when it comes to what we share on social media?
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