BeReal

BeReal

English

Etymology

From be real, intended as a double entendre: its primary reference relates to its focus on users uploading unpolished photos, while also being a pun on the term B-reel. The app was developed by Alexis Barreyat, a former employee of GoPro, and Kevin Perreau.

Proper noun

BeReal

1. (social media) A French social media app, released in 2020, which prompts users once each day to take photos of whatever they are doing using the front and back cameras of their phones.
   • 2022 October 13, “On BeReal, is it possible to actually be real?”, in CNN‎:

     And it’s been successful, with about 40 million installs of BeReal this year alone, according to data from Apptopia, which tracks and analyzes mobile app performance.

   • 2022 April 8, “Five Facts to Know About BeReal App”, in Yahoo! Sports‎:

     But on BeReal this is much harder to do as users will be notified how many retakes it took to get the perfect shot. They will also be notified if the photographs are late in being posted.

Noun

BeReal (plural BeReals)

1. (social media, Internet, neologism) A post published on the French social media app BeReal, consisting of photos from both the front and back cameras of a user's phone, providing a visual depiction of what they are doing in that moment. (This is a hot sense, kept provisionally)
   • 2022 April 16, Wynne Davis, “BeReal is Gen Z's new favorite social media app. Here's how it works”, in NPR‎:

     Once a day you get a notification from the app. It tells you that it's time to post your BeReal for the day and you have two minutes to do so. […] Users can also see where their friends are on a map and discover other publicly posted BeReals.

   • 2022 May 13, R. E. Hawley, “BeReal and the Fantasy of an Authentic Online Life”, in The New Yorker‎:

     While scrolling through BeReals in the past few weeks, I’ve occasionally felt gripped by loneliness. Seeing others partying, hanging out with friends, or curled up on the couch with their significant others, framed as everyday slices of life, elicited a more intense fear of missing out than I’ve ever felt on Instagram.

   • 2022 August 13, Anna Iovine, “Why are BeReal selfies so unflattering?”, in Mashable‎:

     BeReal is driven by the desire to be "authentic" online, which is oxymoronic even on the app itself. For example, you can post late BeReals when you actually want to document your current surroundings, and you can retake photos as well.