Young people rejecting Instagram perfection in favour of warts-and-all networking app
A SOCIAL media application that bans photoshopping has become the UK’s most downloaded networking tool, as young people push back against the pressure of Instagram.
BeReal encourages users to give their friends an authentic look into their life. It sends a daily notification prompting them to post a photo of whatever they happen to be doing at that time of the day. A two-minute timer begins when the notification is sent, and users must send two pictures showing themselves and where they are within that time frame. If they don’t, their friends will be notified that there was a delay in producing the image, implying it could be staged or curated.
Examples of images posted to the application include half-drunk cups of coffee, workbooks with headphones strewn on top, London Underground seats and gym equipment.
Founded by French entrepreneurs Kévin Perreau and Alexis Barreyat in 2020, BeReal is listed as the most downloaded free social networking application in the UK on the Apple App Store, according to the digital analytics firm Similarweb.
This makes it more sought after than the popular instant messaging tool WhatsApp. It also ranks ahead of Facebook, Messenger, Telegram and Skype.
Five million people have downloaded the application worldwide and about 300,000 are using it regularly every month. On the Apple App Store, its description states: “BeReal is your chance to show your friends who you really are, for once.
“BeReal won’t make you famous. If you want to become an influencer you can stay on TikTok and Instagram. BeReal won’t let you cheat.”
BeReal has been praised by eatingdisorder charities, who said its popularity suggests young people are rebelling against the pressure to produce heavily edited content for their Instagram and TikTok profiles.
Deborah Watson, from Wednesday’s Child, said: “From what we’ve seen of BeReal, and certainly taking into account the principal goal of creating a less ‘manufactured’ sharing of content, we think this could be a very positive thing.”