With every update the popular social media platform releases, the more it seems to stray further away from its intended message.
The app was created to combat the “fakeness” and overly edited posts of other social media platforms by encouraging users to stop what they are doing and post exactly what they are doing in the moment when the BeReal notification goes off. Users have two minutes to post until their post is considered “late.”
Sometimes the notification catches users while they are doing something brag-worthy, but most of the time it catches them doing mundane activities like homework, laying in bed binge watching a show, making dinner, etc.
By doing this, users are showing themselves “being real,” rather than posting strategic, filtered posts with thought-out captions that show the latest concert or party they have been to.
As with any app, as its popularity has grown, the BeReal team has released updates to keep the app fresh and exciting, but some have missed the mark and made the app feel less and less “real.” The most recent update of being able to add celebrities and brands is no exception to this.
This update, called RealPeople and RealBrands, is intended to provide users with the “behind-the-scenes” of celebrities and brands by giving people the opportunity to follow their favorites and see them be real.
Currently users can add celebrities like Niall Horan, Joe Jonas, Nina Dobrev, Dixie D’Amelio and more; as well as brands such as M.A.C. Cosmetics, Glossier, Adidas, etc. Users can add sports teams, such as the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Penguins, and universities, such as UCLA and Penn State.
Celebrities and brands market themselves in a calculated way on social media to maintain their reputation and public appearance, which leads BeReal users to question just how real and authentic celebrities will choose to be on their newly public BeReal accounts.
BeReal’s COO ensures celebrities and brands will not be granted any special features and will not be given the ability to schedule specific posts in order to maintain the original message of the platform.
However, celebrities especially tend to live relatively lavish and action-packed lifestyles that allows for a lack of the mundaneness the app promotes.
For example, the average user could be drowning in homework and trying to study for a big exam at the same time that a celebrity is getting ready for a red carpet event. This way, the neverending self-loathing cycle of social media makes it to the app that was trying so hard to break away from that mold.
Of course, users have the option to not add celebrities and brands, but that goes for any and all social media platforms. The fascination with the lives of celebrities always seems to win over preserving ignorance.
Regardless, BeReal still contains remnants of the beginning idea that allow users the intention of being real. It is with hope that BeReal continues doing its best to maintain that as much as possible while still keeping the app fresh and interesting.
