By Kelen Garcia
The app of the summer, BeReal, has taken over the phones of thousands of teenagers. The unique social media platform reminds users to take a picture with their front camera and the back camera simultaneously to show their friends a glimpse of their lives without the filters and planning. The ultimate goal for BeReal is to end the negative relationship people have with other social media, such as Instagram, where one may feel pressured to create the “perfect” post. Although the point of the social media app is to “be real”, it still doesn’t feel like the users are really understanding the point of the app. BeReal sends users a notification reminding them they have 2 minutes to post a picture. When someone receives the notification, the words “BeReal Time!” typically are cheered and a flock of people gather in front or behind the phone to get into the picture. However, when you tell your friends to pose for your BeReal, it takes away from the spontaneity the app aspires to promote. On the BeReal website, promotion pictures demonstrate people snapping photos of themselves and their surroundings in a natural, candid manner. The app encourages all forms of realness which doesn’t include posing for the camera. Posing for the picture can come across as trying to perfect your “impromptu” photo. The realest picture comes from unsuspecting people’s natural state and we will only move towards breaking the idea of “perfect” posts when we allow ourselves to truly appreciate the meaningfulness of candid photos.