Back in the dark ages (2022), BeReal was the place to be. It was painfully honest, silly and well, real. With the most basic concept of one post, every day, exactly where you are in the moment – it was the anti-social media. No filters, no angles, just vibes.
Snapping rogue pictures of your flatmates hungover and posting them at the same time every day wasn’t just a bit of fun, it was a ritual. Everyone and their mum was obsessed. For a brief, glorious moment, a whole pub would be united in the pinging of a notification and the most outlandish photos staged.
If you were a true, half of your posts would be a forced front camera smile and a back camera shot of an essay open on your laptop. Likely captioned with something about the grindset.
It was painfully relatable – and that’s why we loved it
Unlike Instagram, where everything had to be picture perfect, everyone looked just as tragic as each other on BeReal. It was nothing if not democratic. Pals on your course? Collapsed over library tables. Housemate? Mid-nap drooling. Your crush? Sat in some pretty bad lighting. BeReal was the ultimate equaliser.
Arguably, it was the most unifying thing to happen to students. Nothing will ever feel as good as the rush you got when you got that little notification mid-way through pres. Sure, the photos were blurry and made you look a little bit like Gru. The chaos? Worth it.
Lest we forget the beauty of the end of year round up. I don’t think I could be made more emotional by seeing the birth of my first child, it was moving to see so many silly memories collated.
The fall
Nothing great lasts forever. After a few perfect years, BeReal started to crumble under the weight of its own glory. After introducing some less than favourable features, it became more about performance.
When the two minute window became optional, suddenly everyone was scheduling their pics around the best points of the day. It quickly went from photos you’d never want printed to shots of cocktails, perfectly positioned group pics and holidays. We lost the real in the BeReal.
Unfortunately, it lost the magic. There’s only so many shots you can take of your crumb-covered duvet before it starts to feel a bit meh.
The buzz became dreaded, causing immediate stress when you realised it was time to BeReal whilst crying over your overdue assignments. What should have been a fun way to capture brief moments of your life started to feel like you were being forced to document your downfall. A bit like the scary Duolingo owl, I don’t want to feel like I’m being hunted down by an app.
By 2025, BeReal was a bit like the houseplant you left shrivelled up on your windowsill. Only diehard fans were still posting, and no one really cared if you missed days in a row. The days when friends would reach out truly concerned for your wellbeing if you didn’t upload were long gone, and the golden age was over.
So, is it dead?
Pretty much. Ask someone about their BeReal now and you’ll be met with “omg, I forgot about that!”. Buried next to the greats of Vine and YOLO, she burned out like a star – bright and beautiful.
We loved it briefly and used it relentlessly because it gave us something pure. It was a lesson in laughing at ourselves, and living for the moment.
So what’s next? Hopefully something with less responsibility.
Forever in our hearts, gone and not forgotten </3
