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Seriously, people can be authentic online? I put the BeReal app to the test and ended up loving it

SINGAPORE — As I sat atop my porcelain throne in the bathroom one Friday morning, I let out a groan not because I was constipated but because a notification alert pinged on my mobile phone.

TODAY journalist Loraine Lee had to snap photos of herself brushing her teeth and packing up in her parents' home for a move when she started using the BeReal application.
TODAY journalist Loraine Lee had to snap photos of herself brushing her teeth and packing up in her parents' home for a move when she started using the BeReal application.
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  • One of TODAY's journalists tried out the BeReal app, which is touted to be the anti-Instagram
  • It requires users to post two pictures taken with their phone’s front and back cameras simultaneously
  • Users are alerted once a day, at the same time, to do so at a moment they do not expect
  • The photos must be uploaded within two minutes, and there is no option to add a filter or touch up the images
  • Sociologists said that online users wanting some authenticity is not surprising

SINGAPORE — As I sat atop my porcelain throne in the bathroom one Friday morning, I let out a groan not because I was constipated but because a notification alert pinged on my mobile phone.

It told me that I had two minutes to post two pictures taken by my phone’s front and back camera simultaneously in the name of social media authenticity.

You see, just the day before, I began using this mobile application called BeReal — touted as the anti-Instagram.

At a random time once a day, more than 10 million of its active users would simultaneously receive a notification to post an image within two minutes on BeReal, leaving barely enough time to adjust their hair and strike a pose. 

Since I was answering nature’s call, I faced a dilemma: Live with the shame of posting my photos late for that day, or have a selfie of myself in the midst of my bathroom activity.

I chose to post after two minutes and took a selfie of myself brushing my teeth later — at least some of my dignity would be left.

BeReal was launched in late 2019 by its French creators Alexis Barreyat and Kevin Perreau. It is a social media tool that is meant for those who are tired of all the poseurs keeping up too much of an appearance online. BeReal wants the authentic you, without the filters, cropping, photo editing and touch-ups.

After the alert goes out, you take a photo and post it for your friends to see. Or retake it within a two-minute limit.

Once you have made your daily post, you can view your friends’ posts as well.

However, once the next day’s notification comes, their previous posts will no longer be accessible, so there’s no “profile stalking” to be done through BeReal. 

You are not penalised for posting late if you do it after the two-minute leeway, aside from living with the shame of your post being tagged as late.

Having at least 10 friends on the app also gives you an extra perk of seeing how many retakes your friends took before posting.

The app has taken Gen-Zers by storm, with other social media apps such as TikTok and Instagram creating their own versions of BeReal.

My editors and I were sceptical. Can we, and should we, really be authentic online, I wondered.

I offered to subject myself to trying out the app for two weeks for this article.

One editor joked: “Youngsters want a nosy parent-in-law bugging them every day (to take a picture).”

Indeed, on the first few days, BeReal felt more like an annoyance.

I was constantly on edge waiting for the notification to ring because I did not want to be late in posting and be seen as being inauthentic and taking time to “pretty up” my photo by putting on makeup, among other things.

Then, when I started to get the hang of it, I couldn’t help but wish that the alert would come when I was up to something more exciting.

TODAY journalist Loraine Lee with her boyfriend at River Wonders in Mandai (left) and with her colleagues having a meal (right).

On Sept 11, I was at River Wonders in Mandai (the former River Safari) with my boyfriend and was hoping that the BeReal notification would come in time for a cute picture of the pandas. But alas, it was in front of a tank of fishes — a much less charismatic animal.

And in the name of authenticity, I had, one morning, taken a picture of my clothes-strewn chair while in the midst of packing as my family was moving to a new home; a mess I would never have posted on any social media account.

Why couldn’t it have rang while I was having fun with my friends later in the afternoon? 

Everything I never wanted people to see online — pimples, blemishes, the mess at home and mundane moments — were all captured throughout those two weeks. 

In the app description, BeReal does admit that it might frustrate users, but it also says that it features “life without filters”.

That is the charm of BeReal I fell for — authenticity.

I’m not the only person with a mess to clear up after a busy few days. I am also not the only person with pimples and blemishes.

It forces all its users to be authentic online and provides the tools to judge if something you see is authentic.

BeReal also fosters connections with your friends on the app, being able to catch a glimpse into each other’s lives at that moment of the day you can't replicate through a text message.

It is similar to Facebook and Instagram in their heydays when they were simply about sharing selective parts of your life with a select group of people that mattered — rather than content created to maximise the social media channel’s algorithm.

Having subjected herself to two weeks of being real online, TODAY journalist Loraine has no plans yet of stopping her daily BeReal post.

To sociologists such as Dr Jeremy Sng from Nanyang Technological University, social media users’ craving for authenticity is not surprising.

“As the audience and receivers (of social media content), perhaps people are starting to tire of the numerous photo filters, carefully crafted texts, and posts that only celebrate perfect moments,” Dr Sng said.

“Only portraying good and happy times on social media is to deny a large part of an authentic human emotional experience, so audiences would understandably want more authentic portrayals as social media is integrated into their lives.”

He added that authentic portrayals are more relatable, which explains the increasing want for such content. 

This is also seen in other aspects of life such as fans hoping to catch a glimpse of a celebrity in real life and paparazzi shots showing celebrities outside of the glitz and glamour, Dr Sng said.

Associate Professor Tan Ern Ser of National University of Singapore (NUS) noted, however, that people naturally want to present themselves positively, so there is a need to ensure that “positive self-presentation must come across as authentic”. This means no fake accents, extreme makeovers or overselling yourself.

“I reckon it is important to come across as authentic and believable, even if it is just putting our best foot forward or hiding some blemishes,” he said when asked if social media should be authentic.

“But it is also entirely possible for a social media platform to be centred on creating and presenting fantasies, which by definition are largely inauthentic, yet welcome.”

On this note, Dr Sng said that there is a level of authenticity that people are willing to accept. For example, Instagram livestreams are seen as authentic glimpses of celebrities, but they are ultimately still intentional performances.

“As with all forms of community behaviour, there are still social norms on social media to follow, so one can only be as authentic as these norms allow, otherwise one risks being rejected by the community and one’s followers,” Dr Sng added.

Because it’s not just the person sharing. It’s also what others are doing with the information being shared or the reception it gets from the audience, which may turn out negative and not at all what the person who is sharing intends.
Dr Vincent Chua from the National University of Singapore, a sociologist, on how being "too authentic" may backfire

Dr Vincent Chua from NUS, a sociologist, pointed out that there are caveats to being "too authentic" online.

“Because it’s not just the person sharing. It’s also what others are doing with the information being shared or the reception it gets from the audience, which may turn out negative and not at all what the person who is sharing intends,” Dr Chua said.

Assoc Prof Tan said: “Morally speaking, we would expect authenticity to be the rule, rather than the exception. I believe we all expect truth to prevail and see it as the foundation of social stability and cohesion. 

“But this may be a tall order in reality. I suspect that a totally authentic social world, while desirable, would also be somewhat boring.”

For me, BeReal would supplement “authenticity” in my daily social media consumption, but would not be a replacement for TikTok and Instagram. These platforms still provide my daily dose of entertainment and, importantly, current affairs and the news — especially on TODAY’s Instagram and TikTok channels. (Here’s winking at you, readers. And my editors, ahem.)

Related topics

BeReal app social media authentic Gen Z Youth

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