Over the past few months, I have downloaded BeReal, things have been quite different; I have been able to see what my friends are up to in their daily life, especially those friends that take 3 to 5 business days to text back.

First, let me explain what BeReal is to those living under a rock. BeReal is an app that was created in 2020 but rose to fame in 2022 with now over 73 million downloads and it is mostly Gen Z’s latest trend of oversharing online.

The app is known for its simplicity as it sends a notification once a day at a random time and you have to post what you are doing at that moment; hence, being real. You cannot view anyone else’s post without posting your daily take on it and I know what everyone is thinking – No you don’t have to post when you are in the bathroom, just wait a few seconds.

There are also other features such as a post map, sharing to other social media and reacting to posts, obviously not as much as other social media’s features like reels, DMs, minigames, likes, influencers and so on, you get the gist. Personally, as a Gen Z, I love how simple and real it is and, in this world, some simplicity is a must!

BeReal also seems to have fewer negative side effects than the other social media platforms out there, such as comparing yourself to others and the pressure of looking excellent in every photo. Yes, there is the element of comparing your day to someone else’s, but it also gives room for creativity and something I have noticed is that Gen Z is not ashamed to say that they have had a bad day. In addition, since there is no filter and nothing to change the reality, the pressure of looking like an Instagram model is not there and let’s hope it stays that way.

After downloading BeReal, there is a sort of ‘waiting for the notification’ feeling whenever I am doing something ‘worthy’ to take a picture of and I kind of like it as it is something to look forward to. Also for some people it can be a great way to socialise and be creative; imagine you are in a gathering with a group of friends you aren’t familiar with and your BeReal notification comes through, you can use that to get everyone together for a picture and they can even be creative with the picture, such as ‘acting as furniture’ or ‘having a fight’, this could also ease the awkwardness as you are doing a group activity.

There aren’t any negative sides to BeReal however some people say that since the app is too basic, it wouldn’t survive. I don’t necessarily agree as the point of the app is simplicity. I am also excited to see what direction this app will go in the future.

Add us on BeReal: Merali Digital