BeReal, a French social media app developed in 2020, has become quite prevalent on the Enochs campus this year. In a survey taken in Mr. Campbell’s second-period Advanced Journalism class, 70 percent of the students who downloaded the app didn’t start using the app until July and August of 2022. The social media app is taking campus by storm,  so here’s what you should know about it: with no filters, no likes, and no follower counts, BeReal gives users 2 minutes to post a picture of exactly what they’re doing to share with friends. 

On an app marketed to show authenticity on social media between “friends”, I interviewed a handful of students across campus to ask questions regarding how authentic their BeReal posts were. When asked on a scale of 1-10 how accurate BeReal posts have been, senior Ramiz Haddid says, “Probably a 4, sometimes I’ll retake pictures if I feel like they don’t look good”. Another senior Vincent Gates says, “If I get the BeReal notification while I’m not doing anything I’ll wait until I am to post late”. 7 out of 20 people I’ve talked to say they have people on their account they don’t even consider their friends.

After downloading the app myself for a week, selfies of half faces and eyes and laptops and feet flooded my feed. Even though this may seem like evidence of the unauthentic nature of just another social media app, BeReal shows a new unique side of social media to our generation that should be embraced. After being locked up under COVID-19 restrictions for two years, being able to see your friends going out and doing things may inspire you to do the same.

On the other hand, even seeing your classmates and friends doing the same mundane tasks as you like homework and studying inside can reassure those who are still comfortable at home. At a time when almost every high school student on campus had or has access to a social media account flooded with selfies and unrealistic utopian lives masked with filters and photoshop, BeReal is a refreshing platform that can help students boost their confidence and connect with peers.

This isn’t an instant solution to the problems that come with social media usage but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.