Always-on authenticity: Challenging the BeReal ideal of “being real”

Abstract

This paper examines the mobile app BeReal, a popular social media platform, and challenges its claim to fame as a uniquely authentic platform. Through a critical analysis of the app’s user experience and an exploration of popular discourse among social media users regarding its design, I seek to assess this claim. BeReal promotes authenticity, or “being real,” through the act of users posting interesting content on demand and in real time. The app enforces this authenticity by imposing restrictions: users can only post once a day, at a specific time determined by BeReal, and in one take. Violating these rules triggers a judgment system that notifies other users when posts are made late or retaken. Despite the platform’s promise of enabling users to express their true selves through its restrictive functionality, I argue that its version of authenticity instead intensifies the need for external curation due to an “always-on” mentality.