Everyone who keeps up with the latest trends on social media may find the BeReal app interesting. It is a social media app where users can share pictures from their day-to-day life. Sounds a lot like the more prominent social media sites like Facebook and Instagram. However, BeReal is a lot different from your regular social media platforms. For starters, there are no filters for users to touch up their photos before uploading. Whatever you capture through your camera is what gets uploaded.
Pretty fitting for its name! At first glance, the app may seem very harmless and something different than what the audience is used to. But it is important to take a look at the facts before landing on a conclusion. Is the change suggested by BeReal actually good? Or is it just motivating people to get into a more vicious social media cycle?
Also read: BeReal app notifications not working on Apple: Fixes & Workarounds
BeReal App not working & crashing on Android: Fixes & Workarounds
Is BeReal app safe?
To open an account on BeReal, it is important for users to be at least 13 years of age. A minimum age requirement is a good start to answering the question. But (Spoilers!), it doesn’t get better than this. BeReal sends its users a notification that it is “time to take a photo”. After which, users have two minutes to click a picture and upload it to BeReal. This may leave you wondering. What if you don’t post a picture within those two minutes? Will it break a streak? Or will it cause you to lose the engagement on your account or followers? It’s nothing like that. BeReal will only tell your friends on the platform that you are “Late”.
This is not a harmful trait, but it can promote users to prioritize posting a picture to BeReal than actually enjoying the things they really like. Some users may be fine with the platform letting their friends know that they are late to post a picture. But for some users, it may keep climbing the list of priorities. In other words, obsessing over this can be harmful.
Moreover, by trying to keep up with BeReal, many users can end up giving away private information about their life. Information like your address, your hobbies, where you are at a particular time in the day, and your family are some things that have to be private no matter what.
Broadcasting this information can never be a good idea and BeReal promotes exactly that. It may not be upfront with the requests, but sending users a notification to encourage them to post and setting a two-minute timer just doesn’t feel right. Other than that, you can be your own judge. Make your conclusion wisely! I hope this article was helpful in helping you figure out if BeReal is a safe space for you or someone around you.
