#BeReal
BeReal, the anti-Instagram social app, exploded in 2022 with its “authenticity-first” premise: one spontaneous, unfiltered photo per day.
The Concept
Launched in 2020 by French entrepreneurs Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau, BeReal remained niche until 2022. The app’s core mechanic:
- Once daily, at a random time, users receive a notification: “Time to BeReal”
- You have 2 minutes to post a photo (dual camera: front + back simultaneously)
- No filters, no editing, no retakes (technically possible, but discouraged)
- See friends’ posts only after posting your own
The goal: capture real life, not curated highlights.
2022 Explosion
Downloads skyrocketed from 2 million (early 2022) to 53 million by October 2022—a 2,550% increase. Gen Z drove adoption, craving Instagram’s opposite: raw, spontaneous, unpolished.
BeReal topped the App Store charts, surpassing TikTok and Instagram. By December 2022, it was the #1 downloaded app globally.
Cultural Impact
BeReal’s ethos (“be yourself”) resonated with Gen Z’s social media fatigue. No likes, no vanity metrics, no influencers—just you and your friends’ unglamorous lives.
The app spawned trends:
- Late BeReals: Posting hours after the notification (shameful, but relatable)
- ReDos: Retaking photos repeatedly (defeating the purpose, but common)
- BeReal dumps: Screenshots of friends’ awkward/funny posts shared elsewhere
Brands and influencers tried to co-opt BeReal, undermining its authenticity. By 2023, novelty waned; usage declined as users returned to Instagram/TikTok.
The Paradox
BeReal’s core tension: Can “authentic” social media scale? As the app grew, pressure to post “interesting” BeReals increased—defeating its anti-performative mission.
Instagram responded with “Dual Camera” and “IG Candid” features, copying BeReal. TikTok tested similar concepts. The copycats diluted BeReal’s uniqueness.
2023-2024 Decline
By late 2023, BeReal’s daily active users dropped significantly. The app became a fad—used sporadically, not daily. Venture capitalists who valued it at $600 million (2022) questioned its longevity.
Still, BeReal’s 2022 moment influenced social media: authenticity > curation became a design trend.