Feeling fed up with all the filters and perfectly curated images on Instagram? Maybe BeReal, a new form of social media, is the app for you?
Allowing you only two minutes to share a photo and removing the likes and followers, BeReal is an attempt to allow users to do exactly that… be real.
How does BeReal work?
Once you’ve downloaded the app, every day at a random time, you receive a two-minute time limit to take a photo of whatever it is that you are doing in that moment.
And use that photo opp wisely because it’s the only one you’re going to be allowed that day.
As you hold your phone up to take a picture of what you can see in front of you, the back camera of your phone will snap a selfie of you as well.
Then all you have to do is post it.
Whilst the app is designed to share photos amongst friends (more like SnapChat than Instagram), you can explore public content as well BUT only if you’ve already posted an image yourself. If you haven’t approved any of your two-minute pics you can’t look at anyone else’s.
There is also, much like SnapChat, a map feature so that you can see whereabouts your contacts are in the world.
CHECK OUT Love Islander Instagram earnings 2021
Love Islander Instagram earnings 2021 - ranked and stacked
1 of 10Georgia Harrison
10) @georgialouiseharrison - £2,019 per postKicking things off in the bottom spot is Love Island 2017's Georgia Harrison. If this 26 year old did just one sponsored post per month, she could be taking home a comfortable £24k annual salary (...and she's defo doing more than one a month, FYI).
2 of 10Anton Danyluk
9) @anton_danyluk - £2,244 per postNext up, we have Love Island 2019's Anton Danyluk. In February 2020, Anton declared three ADs on his Insta feed - if we inflate that to a yearly salary, the 25 year old would be taking home a whopping £80k. Wowza.
3 of 10Gabby Allen
8) @gabbydawnallen - £2,381 per postFollowing on from Anton is Love Island 2017's Gabby Allen. In November 2020, Gabby posted six official ads on her feed - the most of our influencers so far. Adding that up over the course of a year, Gabby's theoretical salary would be drum roll £170k. Maybe we should sign up for Love Island 2021...
4 of 10Kaz Crossley
7) @kazcrossley - £2,645 per postIn seventh position is Love Island 2018's Kaz Crossley. Currently in Dubai, Kaz has posted two ads this month so far, though she often posts more. Based on her #spon content this month, Kaz's predicted salary would come in at around £60k, increasing by £30k annually for every additional ad she regularly posts each month.
5 of 10Laura Anderson
6) @lauraanderson1x - £3,113 per postIn sixth position (though, tbh, they're all winners with these salaries...) is former air hostess Laura Anderson. She's posted two official ads this month, bringing her potential salary to £74k. But, as with all the influencers, ads aren't the be all and end all. Influencers can be paid for things such as exposure and, most commonly, they can be paid through experiences and commodities - e.g. mini breaks, clothes etc.
6 of 10Zara McDermott
5) @zara_mcdermott - £3,143 per postGetting into the bigger names now. Zara McDermott comes in fifth position with £3,143 per post. This is what the 24 year old could earn solely through her Instagram, not to mention her contract with Made in Chelsea, her new fitness-wear range with Missguided - for this very much up and coming influencer, the possibilities are endless.
7 of 10Shaughna Phillips
4) @shaughnaphillips - £3,294 per postNext up, and rather a surprise entry, is Love Island 2020's Shaughna Phillips. It's been less than a year since this Islander left the villa and she's already filling one of the top spots for her potential Insta earnings. She's posted three ads this month, bringing her predicted salary to a pukka £118k, but we have a feeling social media is just the tip of the iceberg for this one.
8 of 10Alex Bowen
3) @ab_bowen - £3,412 per postInto our top three, Alex Bowen was Love Island series two's runner up along with wife Olivia. The pair have been somewhat of a power couple since leaving the villa, and it's not a surprise brands are willing to pay for the 28 year old's whopping 1.6million followers exposure. Still, £3,412 - that's 11% of the UK's median income (in 2019, according to ONS).
9 of 10Tommy Fury
2) @tommytntfury - £6,724 per post...Followed by one half of what's arguably the UK's biggest influencer power couple, Mr. Tommy Fury. Tommy rakes in almost double Alex's per post earnings with a whopping £6,724 and that's not even including his winnings as a professional boxer.
10 of 10Molly-Mae Hague
1) @mollymaehague - £10,690 per postAnd finally, Love Island's highest influencer earner, Molly-Mae Hague. This comes as absolutely no surprise with Molly having set up her own tanning brand, a babein' collection with PLT and her own YouTube channel with 1.43million subscribers. All in the two years since she and Tommy became Love Island runners up. This girl is a savvy businesswoman and she's not to be messed with, if you ask us.
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Why should I download BeReal?
Since you can only look at people’s pictures if you’ve posted some real-time ones yourself, catfishing isn’t really going to be a thing. In fact, if you’re anything like us, two minutes just isn’t enough time to get a decent picture so you’re likely to become the opposite of a catfish, as you'll have no time to get the best angles and pick your favourite filter.
It’s really simple to use and the interface is much like our other, beloved social media apps such as Instagram.
Bye bye filters. It’s time to be natural on social media.
No endless scrolling. Once you’ve seen your friends’ uploads, unless you’re looking at public accounts, that’s you done for the day.
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What’s wrong with it?
Whilst it is a major step up from the toxicity of Instagram, BeReal is still a social media meaning that the comparisons between you and other content creators is still there just without filters.
Also, in order to make the most of the app, you do need to have your notifications turned on so that you can see the announcements of the time to publish. Ok so most of the notifications are silent but that won’t stop your phone from lighting up every few so often.
Whilst BeReal doesn’t have a major following yet, brands like Mob Kitchen are already getting in on the action so expect big things.
After the fall of some major influencers like Elle Darby this year… maybe BeReal is exactly what we need!
What do people think of it?
TikTok users have taken to the platform to share their views on BeReal. For the most part it seems to have a lot of fans, with users praising the new approach to social media. TikTok user @joshh.payne shared a video praising the app with the caption, "Found this app and love it already."
People took to the comment section to share their thoughts on the app. One person wrote, "Why does this look like sm fun?"
Another commented, "In Spain everyone has it", suggesting it may yet catch on in the UK.
Other people were a bit more sceptical. One person humorously wrote, "Only thing I do in a day is stare at the wall."
Another left a comment in a similar vein, writing, "Couldn't be me, I never leave my house."
Other creators used this hilarious idea to make TikTok content. @peebie shared a video expressing her hatred for BeReal with the caption, "Don’t get me started on how you have to post to see your friends?!?"
In the video she talked about how even though she's been on holiday in Madrid, the app only sent her a notification when she was doing something really boring meaning she couldn't share the best bits of her trip.
Some in the comment section defended the app, however. One person wrote, "Okay I get you, it does go off when I'm doing NOTHING! But it's cute seeing people authentically and seeing everyone else doing nothing."
Another similar video posted by @hannahmorris74 showed her and her friends at the Eiffel Tower waiting to get a notification so they could post a picture of it on the app.
People were less positive about the app in the comment section of this video. One person wrote, "It only shows up at the least entertaining time."
Another person considered how they were "literally missing the entire point of the app" and whist the video was clearly meant as a joke, this user did have a point when it comes to general criticisms of the app.
Maybe people would enjoy BeReal more if they just accept it for what it is and not as a replacement for other apps such as Instagram and Snapchat? Why not continue to use those apps whilst using BeReal in a different way?
While BeReal has its fair share of critics and fans in equal measure, the app seems to have a lot of promise and may yet find its audience.