There is a new photo-sharing app called BeReal. The app was released in 2020 but gained popularity earlier this year.
BeReal's purpose is for its users to capture their real lives. Every day, BeReal sends out a notification to every user that it’s “time to BeReal.” The app only allows the user two minutes to take a picture of whatever they're doing at that moment. If the user doesn’t like how the picture looks, they can retake it. But again, they only have two minutes. Instead of only being taken from the front or back camera, the BeReals camera takes the picture from both. This feature allows others to see the person's appearance and where they are.
Unlike Instagram or Snapchat, the app does have filters or editing tools. The app store description on BeReal states, “BeReal is life, Real life, and this life is without filters.” There is no need to spend time editing to post the perfect picture. Though aesthetically pleasing photos are lovely, the posts are supposed to be raw and unfiltered. That is real life, as bad as the lighting looks in the photo.
Snow College has recently hopped on the BeReal train. On September 29, 2022, Snow College’s Instagram page posted a story asking students to send their BeReals. The following day, they posted a video with all of the BeReals sent by students. The post captioned, “ Time to BeReal but Snow College Student Body version.” The post showcased the lives of Snow College students. Whether in class, at a game, tailgate, cooking in their dorm, or hanging out with friends.
Brighton Torgenson, a freshman at Snow College, says, “ I mostly post photos of what I’m doing with my roommates on BeReal. I feel like BeReal is different because you don’t have a chance to change what you look like, and it can be an easier way to see what people are up to.” Users can stay in touch with their friend's activity, close or far.
BeReal is a fun app to share moments of one’s life with family and friends. It’s also a great way to look back on what one was doing and where. But most importantly, to show the real them.