BeReal Hype at SHS

Used by teenagers worldwide, the new up-and-coming social media app, BeReal, has become popular among Scituate High School students. BeReal is an app that sends a daily notification prompting users to post a photo of themselves at the exact moment. Once users press the app’s camera button, both the front and back cameras take photos. The app then uploads the photo to the stream where people see their “friends” “real” moments. BeReal “friends” can react to your post with their own photos. 

BeReal is a unique social media app: it is only desirable for a few minutes each day. If you do not post your BeReal within two minutes after the notification is sent, the post is considered late. When it posts late by a few minutes or hours later, the post may not be as genuine or “real” to the account’s followers. Thus, many are quick to snap a pick right when they get their daily BeReal notification.

When asked what she likes about the app, sophomore Katie Tarsala said, “I like the app BeReal because it is fun to see what all your friends are doing at the same exact time when the notification pops up for everyone to take their picture.” Junior Sarah Gillis said, “I like how you can react and comment on other people’s BeReals. It’s nice how the picture goes away after a day.” A positive aspect of BeReal is that there is no way to “like” a post as you can on Instagram. Gillis also said, “It’s a good way for people to connect outside of Instagram where people can sometimes worry about what they post.” For some social media apps, the environment can be stressful and cause people to compare themselves to others. However, Gillis feels differently about BeReal: “There is no stress and way more fun.” 

Junior Will Cahill was asked if he believes BeReal will maintain its popularity. He responded, “I do think it will stay popular because of the fact it is so unique to other social media platforms and cannot be overused during the day.” On the other hand, senior Tess Railton claimed, “I don’t think it will stay popular because there’s not much more to it than the few minutes you spend looking at other people’s photos.” With differing viewpoints, it will be interesting to see if BeReal will still stay a relevant and vibrant social media source for Scituate High School students.