The Marsaline
BeReal, an up and coming social media app that became popular within groups of teenagers during summer of 2022, has been all over MHS this year. Students within the high school wonder if the platform will stay afloat with the new stricter cell phone policy or if the short teenage attention span will move on to something new since they can’t access BeReal at a moment’s notice.
BeReal traveled between friend groups quickly during summer break as kids used it to share what they were doing and who they were with. The app is based around users getting random notifications throughout the day, and they then would have to post a picture of what they are doing at that moment.
“I try to use it every day but forget to sometimes,” said Senior Katelyn Morgan.
Adults using social media is always a surprise when it comes to newer platforms on the internet. So teachers and parents not knowing what BeReal would make sense to the students at MHS.
“I’m sure some adults know about it. They just don’t care, knowing it’s some new social media kids are using now,” said Senior Hadley Guthrey.
Teenage trends are always changing. If it was popular last month, it will probably be “old news” by next month. But with BeReal, the app’s popularity has been ongoing and accelerating since summer break.
“It was something different and a new way to see what other people were doing,” said Guthrey.
Some students still believe that the social platform will be tossed aside.
“I think BeReal will honestly fade away after a while. People get bored easily in this generation,” said Sophomore Bailey Riley.
Because of the new strict phone policies put into place at the high school, the app has lost some of its appeal to users. Students who aren’t allowed to access their phone during class periods can’t post to the platform at the exact time they get their BeReal notification. Of course, users have the option of posting late. But how long will that last?
“Some people wish that the notification went off at the same time every day,” said Morgan, “but I like that you never know when to expect it. You can’t get ready for it.”
Doing something because everyone else seems to be doing it is not a new occurrence in the teenage world. It’s how most social media gains a following. People talk to each other and recommend others to download what they have, making the platform more and more popular. BeReal is no different.
“I started using BeReal because other people suggested I get it,” said Riley. “But I continue to use it because it is fun and I enjoy it.”
Some social media apps have managed to keep their popularity within the past years including Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok. The question is will BeReal have the longevity as these other platforms?