Almost out of nowhere, everyone I know started talking about BeReal.

My BeReal profile.

BeReal

A new photo-sharing social media app called BeReal has become the latest obsession for Gen Z.

I first heard about it from a friend, who said she was absolutely loving it and wanted our entire friendship group to start using it. 

I was hesitant about downloading it because I already spend too much time on TikTok and have been trying to cut down my screen time. But as each of my friends started using BeReal, they began to rave about how fun it was to keep in touch with friends throughout the day on the app, so I eventually caved to the peer pressure and FOMO. 

BeReal was invented in 2020, but it’s been having a moment this year. According to trending news website Social Media Today, downloads of the app have risen by 315% since the beginning of the year, now ranking fourth in the list of most downloaded social media apps, behind Instagram, Snapchat, and Pinterest. 

According to the app’s description on Apple’s  App Store, BeReal encourages people to “show your friends who you really are, for once,” by removing filters and opportunities to stage, over-think, or edit photos. 

I decided to try BeReal for a week to see if it would live up to the hype.