BeReal is an app that took the world of social media by storm, but has turned into a mere drizzle over the months following.
Courtesy of Annabel Hutchings | The Crow’s Nest
By Annabel Hutchings
BeReal was the biggest social media app to hit the market since TikTok, with 73 million downloads as of October 2022. But since then, the app has seen a stark decline in daily users.
BeReal alerts users at a random time during the day to snap a picture of themselves and whatever they are doing at the time. It promotes authenticity and removes some of the pressure that comes with posting on a regular social media platform to appear perfect at all times. This was refreshing for some people, but others were not buying the authenticity gimmick.
Isabelle St. Ledger, a sophomore studying Environmental Science and Policy at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, spoke about what turned her away from the BeReal app despite its popularity. She said that she is adverse to social media in general due to the pressures of perfection.
“Although it’s meant for people to show their authentic selves, I feel like it’s just the opposite. It still turns into just a highlight reel of what you’re doing in your day,” St. Ledger said.
BeReal seemed to have the missing piece people were struggling to find, but after a little bit of use, it appears people will always find a way to be inauthentic on social media, and the app is merely left with the bare bones of a successful social media platform.
“The type of content, still pictures, do not lend themselves to people spending a lot of time on them,” said Monica Ancu, a professor teaching a class on social media at USF St. Petersburg.
Social media has grown to be a beast of its own, and this beast heavily requires key pieces if a platform wants to stay afloat. The age of video is here and it is reflected in people’s time spent online. BeReal simply cannot keep up with the demand that audiences put out for the entertainment that they require.
Ancu discussed the elements that a long-standing social media platform requires to stay relevant over a long period of time. Entertainment value, content that keeps users engaged, the incentive to monetize, and the ability to gain popularity and grow a personal brand are all vital to the sustainability of a network.
Something that is merely a good idea is not enough to keep users coming back. BeReal is the most recent example of an app that users connected with but did not hold a sustainable impact. Even if the two minutes a day that users are utilizing the app are enjoyable, it is not enough to keep them coming back in the long term. Attachment to social media platforms continues to be directly correlated with time spent on the app itself.
Even if the idea to “be real” without any pressures of popularity or being bombarded by ads sounds enticing in the moment, there is not much longevity to a company that has no way to make money off of its users, and users don’t typically take well to monetization.
A TIME article about the future of BeReal touched upon these financial questions, stating that “as BeReal attracts investors based on its prospects for retaining a large user base, it’s going to have to start generating profits—whether that’s through selling ads, monetizing subscriptions, or another method.”
Even with the impending fall in popularity of the app, the company behind BeReal does not seem like their feathers are ruffled by the threat. As shared in a Sifted article, creators Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau have very little presence in the press world. The urge to profit and promote like other social media companies simply isn’t there.
While this means the intentions of the app remain authentic, they may be what takes the sinking ship down. A social media app without fame and advertising may seem refreshing but it isn’t enough to keep up with the big names.
Whether it’s financial pressures or the loss of user interest, the survival of BeReal into the future is looking unlikely. Much like many of the new names in social media in recent years, they will likely be swallowed by the existing giants.
