New social media app, BeReal, aims to showcase life “without filters.” But for Roosevelt students, does that hold true?
It’s time to BeReal.
Every day, at a randomly selected time, millions of BeReal social media users are met with the same matching notification and a ticking timer to post.
Once the post countdown starts, users have two minutes to post a BeReal, an image from their front and back cameras to capture what they are doing at the moment.
As of this October, BeReal has been downloaded over 53 million times, skyrocketing into fame after a 315% increase in downloads since 2020.
Its popularity has spread to Roosevelt High School. In a recent The Roosevelt News survey of 40 Roosevelt students, 85% reported having the BeReal app.
Student opinions on the app vary. Roosevelt sophomore Drew Blakeley said, “I think BeReal really is real because people can’t put a filter on or anything like that!”
The app notably allows for no photo editing and, of course, little time to check your lighting or fix your hair. But does this actually fulfill people’s search for authenticity?
Only some people agree. Roosevelt junior Audrey Sexton said, “It isn’t totally real due to the fact that many people post late and plan when they want to post their BeReal.”
Sophomore Nhi Nguyen agreed, “I think it depends because some people post 12 hours after the notification.”
Regarding posting a “late BeReal,” poll results back this up; 66% of Roosevelt students said that only some of their BeReals are posted “on time.” Furthermore, none of the respondents said that their BeReals are posted “on time” 100% of the time.
The debate over posting “on time” versus “posting late” raises a bigger question: Do late posts defeat the purpose of BeReal’s time-ticking notifications?
While BeReal is marketed as a “different kind of social media app,” it is still a social media platform that can be manipulated by its users.
One anonymous student said, “I never bothered to get it; it’s just another Snapchat, a picture that at best somebody looks at and says, ‘I wish that were me,’ but the whole point of BeReal, I guess, was to take authentic moments. But it’s really just turned into another way to fake your life and put it online.”
For others, late posting isn’t much of a bother. Sexton said, “I don’t think it really matters that much. It’s best just to have fun with it!”
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