The end of BeReal?

WHEN BeReal first launched, the app was a hit. The app established a new niche of social media, encouraging users to share their authentic selves via a front facing photo and selfie once a day. When it first launched, it quickly rose to the top of the App Store and was praised for its refreshing take on social media, emphasizing ‘realness’ over the common picture-perfect perfection normally displayed on Instagram. Moreover, the stark increase in the use of filters on Snapchat made this a welcome new option for sharing photos.

themselves, it feels like changing the core attraction of the app and what made it popular in the first place is a betrayal of people that have found it a refreshing way to take part in social media. The new feature allows users to share more about their daily lives but is this what people really want?

I would argue in favour of BeReal innovating as opposed to giving in to allowing features that other apps offer. Maybe BeReal could include a live photo or short video option. They could include filters or maps that could enhance the current experience which would set them apart counts raise the cost of bots and make them easier to identify. However, this feature has been criticised for elevating tweets according to whether their author has paid, rather than on merit. The idea of a tick as a badge of authenticity has not gone away. High-profile business accounts have a gold tick, government accounts a grey one. And it appears that some celebrities, such as Lil Nas X and Stephen King, have received a blue tick despite not paying for one.

SOME CELEBRITIES... HAVE RECEIVED A BLUE TICK DESPITE NOT PAYING FOR ONE

At the moment, therefore, Twitter verification is in a state of confusion. It is no longer a useful way of identifying legitimate accounts — except when it is. And when it isn’t, why would anyone pay $8 per month for a status symbol that doesn’t symbolise status any more?

Despite this excitement, the once appealing novelty seems to be on the decline with fewer people posting daily and some not using the app altogether anymore. In a move to stem the decline, BeReal has recently introduced a new feature that allows UK users to post multiple times in a day. Some have questioned whether this marks the end for BeReal, whose very existence centred around the ability to only post an in-the-moment photo once a day. It’s clear that the developers are aware of the decline in the popularity of the app but is this really the best way to either slow the decrease in users or better yet reignite the excitement which once surrounded it?

While some could argue that the new feature looks like a logical move, given that it provides users more freedom to express from other apps rather than morphing into another one of 20 identical platforms.

THEY COULD ... ENHANCE THE CURRENT EXPERIENCE ... RATHER THAN MORPHING INTO ANOTHER ONE OF 20 IDENTICAL PLATFORMS.

The general decline in BeReal’s popularity could also speak of a wider issue that BeReal just happens to experience most negatively. The trend of apps incorporating several different aspects of social media together is nothing new. Instagram with its reels, stories and posts brings together aspects of TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook into a convenient platform. There is a possibility people are just suffering from app fatigue and want a small group of apps to switch between rather than having to search every time you want to make a split second in-the-moment post.

So, what does the future hold for BeReal?

Personally, I believe that BeReal will survive but will never reach the heights it experienced during its initial launch. It is sad seeing apps that once brought joy and an innovative way of interacting with others disappear from knowledge, however this is the unfortunate nature of the app free market. What is important to remember though is that because of this, apps appear and disappear at a similar rate and this means that it is more likely than not that another app with another fun and interesting innovation will launch and bring a similar hype.

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