I’m currently five weeks BeReal sober. When you put it that way, it sounds like I’m aggressively against the app—I’m not—but after a summer of reflecting, I’m doubtful of my future BeReal status. 

When I first joined BeReal in May, the concept seemed perfect for me: a way to share how you are and what you’re doing each day without the hassle of constructing a picture-perfect Instagram post. As my usage of BeReal continued over the months, I found it less exciting and more exhausting to post. The feeling when you post a picture of you sitting in bed while being shown photos of people at concerts, parties and other activities that are far more adventurous than what you’re doing feels disheartening and embarrassing — even if you were hanging out with friends a couple of hours ago.

However, my experience may be because of an issue with authenticity, as BeReal’s features allow it to be more “fake” than it seems. The opportunity to post your daily BeReal up to 24 hours late means that you could wait until the perfect time to take your picture. 

This does pose an important question—what is it to “BeReal”? BeReal’s entire premise is promoting authenticity, but if people use the opportunity to take their BeReal at “the best” time, that’s just as bad as the filtered social media lifestyle the app is against. If one’s authenticity is questioned on an app that’s all about being genuine, that makes the app have an unhealthy environment. 

Using BeReal is supposed to be simple and carefree, but the app’s environment can pressure you into putting a lot more care into your posts than you should.