Bereal, the app that everyday, at a different time, everyone is notified simultaneously to capture and share a photo in two minutes, has taken the internet by storm. Its growth in popularity is mainly due to the supposed authenticity of the app and how a user is only given two minutes to capture a candid photo using the front and back camera simultaneously. Though, how authentic really is Bereal? Can you really call the photos candids if the app allows retakes? How far does the genuine appeal of the app stretch if it allows for pre-saved reactions to pictures? And what is the purpose of the two minute time limit to take the picture if it allows for users to take their picture after the designated deadline?
My first realization that Bereal wasn’t as real as it is hyped to be was when I didn’t like the first Bereal I took, so I went back and took another one. After I had done so, I was stumped with the realization that I had defeated the purpose of the app, with the intended purpose being a candid shot in one take. But that simply isn’t enforced on the app as it allows users to take as many retakes as needed. How can you “Bereal” if you can take the picture as many times as you want and modify it to make it as ideal as possible.
The second great awakening of the faults of Bereal came when I continuously missed the initial two minute send off to capture my daily photo on the app but was still able to post one hour after I missed it. After days of continually taking the picture hours after the daily notification, I began to realize I was once again defeating the purpose of the app. The purpose being to capture a one-take in the span of the two minutes allotted when the app instructs.
Something as miniscule as reacting to a friend’s Bereal isn’t as real as the app advertises it to be either. Reactions in the app are allowed to be retaken and even copied and pasted onto multiple Bereals. With the addition of this feature, the app allows users to save a reaction and save it to use to react to another friend’s Bereal. The reactions feature isn’t even genuine in the app where being real is so emphasized.
Though it is a relatively new app – launched in 2020 but popularized in May 2022 – it has its many faults that mostly contradict the main purpose and intended use of the app. Some solutions I offer to any Bereal app coders that read the Chamblee Blue & Gold: stop allowing retakes as the first picture a user takes is them being real, while taking an additional picture is fake and not as authentic as just one take. In addition, block users from being able to take a picture after the initial two minute send off as they have missed their chance and must wait until the next alert to post them being entirely real in the moment. But allow them to still be able to view their friends’ posts. Finally, take the pre-set reaction feature off of the app to maintain the factor of being entirely real and candid on the internet as the app bases its entire purpose on, even with something as simple as reacting to a friend’s Bereal. To the company of Bereal, if the app continues to allow such non-authentic activity from users, I suggest you go ahead and change the name to, Besometimesreal, to reflect the true nature of the app at its present state.