Throughout the day, I am on the edge of my seat waiting for my BeReal notification. But will it go off during school hours?
The social media app was used over the summer to document the exciting adventures teenagers went on. When summer came to an end, BeReal became a way for users to document their school and work days instead.
I was curious how this app will affect school and studying, so I reached out to the founder, Alexis Barreyat, to ask some questions. Unfortunately, BeReal, founded by French social media app developers, is not taking interviews at this moment in time, but I was sent a fact sheet which explains how the app functions.
Users can react to what friends are up to and even see a BeReal from someone across the world if their settings allow. Within two minutes, BeReal users are asked to post what they are doing when they receive the daily BeReal notification. Even though it was founded back in 2020, its popularity grew from its TikTok attention. People all around the world are using the app.
My curiosity has been reduced as it seems like BeReal is avoiding school hours. Woodland has only seen BeReal on August 30th (12:11 P.M.), September 1st (10:49 A.M.), September 13th (around 1:30 P.M.), September 23rd (11:20 A.M.), and September 25th (1:28 P.M.); all going off in the last two blocks of the day. Most days since school started, the BeReal has reached my phone after 5:00 P.M. while my friends and I are completing homework or just getting home from sports, resulting in disappointing BeReal posts.
On the BeReal fact sheet, it states, “It is a secret on how the time is chosen every day[;] it is not random :)”*
Even though I sometimes try, predicting the notification time can be difficult because BeReal has such a fun way of operation. Since school has started, BeReal has left a huge question mark above my head: will it go off during school or when nothing exciting happens?
BeReal started with one campaign slogan, “What if social media was different.”
There are no filters, no unrealistic expectations and no comparison. Going off at random times presents teenagers with the unseen part of influencers’ lives. Avoiding work and school hours results in boring BeReal posts, but also examples of ordinary life.
Becoming the fourth downloaded app and having a 315% download increase, I have heard teenagers all over Woodland talking about the app. Even if the notification will not go off during school hours, BeReal will be seen in the Woods more often than it has.
Wait! BeReal just went off! Anyone want to be featured in mine?
*Edit made to press release, semicolon added
