The new social media trend is BeReal. For those who do not know, the application allows users to “BeReal” by posting two pictures of whatever they may be doing during a specific moment in the day. It could be 1:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m., or 1:30 a.m., but it’s time to BeReal regardless. However, some users, including myself, like to wait for the perfect moment to take a snapshot of their daily actions. If I receive a notification at 1:30 p.m., I might wait until I’m not just sitting alone in my room to make my life look exciting for friends.
The other beautiful thing about the app is you can have an extremely exciting day in New York City or even on campus, but then the notification doesn’t go off until 11:30 p.m. What is even the point? This also creates tension within ourselves to constantly be doing something exciting because we never know when the warning might strike. It consumes us and makes us think we are unproductive if we are just vibing in our rooms or lying in bed. When doing something exciting, my next thought is if it’s time to BeReal rather than engaging with the day ahead. I want to capture the perfect moment, rather than to just live and breathe in the moment. This then goes into making sure your phone is charged to make sure you have the camera ready. It’s dreadful, but it’s being real.
Another wonderful component is the waiting. If I get the notification at 10:17 a.m. and I am not feeling it, I will wait. However, when I wait, I begin to feel like an imposter and never know the proper moment to capture the late BeReal. Should I post whenever I’m not alone, or when I feel not alone?
The memories are fun and it’s always funny to see everyone capture their BeReal right when the notification goes off, but what is the purpose of the app? Are we really capturing our true selves if we are just sitting in a chair in our room? But then are we “real” if we post seven hours late? My suggestion is to BeReal whenever you want, after all, the memories are just for you.
Allow yourself to BeReal in the ways you see fit because it’s your life and your own reality. Being real is based on when your reality wants to shine, not when an app tells you to do so.
