There’s a new social media platform on the scene that’s taking France and Gen Z by storm, with a focus on unfiltered, in-the-moment content.
Headquartered in France and aptly named BeReal, the app has been designed to assist people in taking a step back from the filtered, heavily curated feeds seen on apps like Instagram.
The way it works is simple – once every day, a user gets a prompt to post an image of what they’re doing – with only two minutes to upload a snap. The BeReal app takes images using both the reverse and front cameras, so people can see not just what a user is up to, but also where they are. The idea is the time limit will prevent people from being able to stage and curate their shots in an attempt to keep the platform real.
The popularity of the app is on the rise, with Apptopia reporting that downloads have increased by 315% since January. As of Monday, it had been installed just under 7.5 million times, and it’s currently ranking in fourth place for downloads in the UK, France and the US for the first quarter of this year, behind only Pinterest, Instagram and Snapchat.
BeReal is proving popular with younger audiences, with Gen Z being 180% more likely to be a user of the app. Indeed, on my own Instagram feed, I’ve been seeing some of those I follow sharing their BeReal handles on their Stories, with one user last night sharing her handle and commenting that she was late to the trend, proving that the app has been steadily gaining traction here in the UK.
Personally, I think the app sounds interesting. The idea of a non-curated, unfiltered feed would certainly address some of the prevalent issues seen on social media today wherein creators uphold unrealistic standards when it comes to matters like beauty for younger audiences, and a rawer style of posting would certainly be refreshing. Of course, this is provided that the daily prompts from the app greatly vary in time – I doubt anyone would be interested in seeing a picture of me sitting at my desk each day!
With BeReal’s popularity surging, no doubt it won’t be long before Meta either tries to buy out the app or replicate its features on its own platforms – as seen before with the likes of Snapchat and TikTok – so it’s well worth keeping an eye on, especially if your business is trying to reach a younger audience.
Staying in the know with updates like this can be key if you want your business to have a fully-fledged online presence that reaches all target markets. If you need assistance setting up shop on the web, we’re here to help at Engage Web – just get in touch today!
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