There is a new form of social media out in the world, and it’s gaining popularity very quickly. BeReal is a French social media app that was created in 2020, but it only just gained popularity in early to mid 2022. With BeReal’s popularity growing more and more everyday, other apps have tried to clone its idea for themselves. An example of this is TikTok Now, TikTok’s version of BeReal. 

BeReal doesn’t follow the typical social media guidelines, posting posed pictures anytime you want. Yes, you do post pictures, but you post them in a different format. When the BeReal notification goes off, you take a picture with your front and back cameras at alternating times. Its purpose is to show people what you are doing at that exact time realistically. Instead of following the “social media norm” of posting only the good, posed pictures taken, you have two minutes to take a picture with your front camera and your back camera. In those two minutes, you post exactly how you look in that moment, nothing fake. 

The BeReal notification also goes off at different times each day, so you can never fully prepare for it, giving it another reason why BeReal is less posed than other social media apps. You also are less likely to spend hours at a time on BeReal because all you do is post once a day. 

While BeReal is seemingly more simple and not as likely to have negative effects on teens, there still are some effects on certain teens. Some of these effects can be anxiety, fear of missing out, or FOMO, and addiction to the app. It causes addiction because of the randomized daily notifications, which forces the user to engage in the app and forces them to come back daily. It can also cause some feelings of wishing to have the same life as those in the photos when the BeReal is obviously posed. That contributes to the fear of missing out and anxiety that some teens may experience when using BeReal. 

In spite of all of the negative effects, BeReal is still one of the most downloaded apps in the world. And it’s very popular amongst teens around the world. While there are some negative effects following BeReal, it’s still one of the more simple and popular social media apps out today. And even though it causes some anxiety and FOMO, it still has less bad effects than most social media apps, making it one of the most simple and positive social media apps.