[This article was originally published in UEA’s official student newspaper, Concrete.]
When Instagram launched in 2010, its popularity relied on users’ ability to post candid photos to friends or family of what they were up to. Users posted unretouched snaps, thought less about how their feeds would appear, and were unbothered by follower counts. Over time however, Instagram and the world of social media began to evolve, with a heavier focus on ‘influencer’ culture and paid advertisements. Celebrities and influencers began profiting off of paid advertisements for companies selling energy drinks, diet supplements, makeup and skinny teas. Influencers became vital marketing devices for which brands could promote themselves with ease. In recent years though, this has faced backlash. For instance, Joe Lycett poked fun at Olympic swimmer Tom Daley in his stand-up for having been paid to advertise Barclays on a post about LGBTQ+ Pride. The world of Instagram became commercial, and as a result, its content became devoid of authenticity.
However, since the pandemic, there has been a shift in the content we are seeking to consume online. Gen Z in particular are leaning more towards an ‘anti-Instagram’ approach with ‘photo dumps’ of unfiltered pictures which prioritise genuinity over perfection. It’s this shift which catapulted the app BeReal to popularity in the last year. Founded by Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau, the BeReal experience involves taking a photo daily after the app sends you a notification. You then have two minutes to take a ‘two-way photo using [the] phones’ front-and-rear-facing cameras’. Your friends’ posts are only accessible once you have posted your own daily photo. The app even reveals how late photos have been taken and how many times a photo has been retaken before the final one is posted.
As a result, many have gone on to claim that BeReal is a more authentic alternative to platforms such as Instagram, which as Hawley argues, often ‘encourage[s] dishonesty and, in so doing, degrade[s] our social and emotional health’. But despite the lack of filters available to BeReal users, I struggle to see how it is so different from Instagram. Users on BeReal are still able to stage photos without the aid of filters, skin retouching or ring lights. How many users have for instance rushed to change their outfit, stood posed with a friend or family member, or hidden the messy corner of their room once their BeReal notification has gone off? How many users have put off answering their BeReal notification until they are doing something eventful later in the day? BeReal is not revolutionary – it is simply another form of digital deception.
Our problem is perhaps that we are seeking authenticity in the wrong places. Everyone will always present a different version of themselves on social media. It will never truly represent reality because it can’t, and it wasn’t built to.
The easiest way perhaps to form a healthy relationship with social media or to interact with a more genuine version of ourselves is to simply use these online platforms less. Log off occasionally, go read a book, go for a walk, watch a film, talk to a friend. Stop remedying every moment with boredom by scrolling. You don’t need to post online for people to know you’re alive. You can just be.
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