Day 14: So This is What it Feels Like to Have Friends

I FINALLY HAVE FRIENDS!

BeReal has gotten REAL! It seems that word about BeReal is spreading in my community and so is my popularity on BeReal (not really, I only have 9 friends on the app).

The app makes suggestions on friends you can add based on your contacts and I added as many as I could. I also sent the link to download the app to over 40 people now so that may have something to do with its sudden increase in awareness.

To my surprise, I had some requests over the last few days and I was elated when I read the notification that someone was requesting to be MY friend! Really? The notification pops up with the same BeReal tone so I was confused the first time it happened as I had already taken my BeReal snapshots for that day. When I saw that someone was adding me I thought, “Does this mean I’ve gained cool points?”

Something I noticed when a friend added me was the notification to “only accept your real friends”. I feel this is a positive reminder and reinforcement for kids to be safe and only add people they know.

Coolness Update

Days Bein’ Real: 14

Coolness level achieved: 9 friends

New Info - Posting Late

What do you do once you receive the notification to take your BeReal snapshot? You open the app and take your snapshot.

But what if you post late?

If you post late, you cannot see posts from others until you post your own snapshot. It actually blurs other people’s photos until you upload your photo for the day. You also only get one photo instead of three if you post late. (I did not take a screenshot to protect the privacy of my friend group).

If others post late then you receive a notification once they post.

New Feels and Reveals

I will admit that once my friend count increased I started to feel pretty ‘deadly’. It was more interesting to see what others were doing at that exact moment and some of the funny faces they make. I also engaged in the comment and emoji options recently and it has brought some new excitement to the app. I can see the appeal of the app now that I have others to interact with. Things I made note of:

1) you can exit and retake your photos if you do not like the initial one. You can actually do this repeatedly as long as you upload a photo within the 2-minute timeline. In addition to that, your number of retakes is mentioned to your friend list.

2) I’m enjoying the ease with which I upload a photo. No pressure to find a filter or look impressive in any way, shape, or form. I think that because the expectation is NOTHING on this app, there are no criteria to fulfill. Snap a photo, if you like it, enter it! No stress.

3) Yes, you can leave emojis on your friends’ photos but there is no ‘like’ button. No pressure to fulfill a certain number of likes. You CAN go back to your ‘memories’ and delete your entries (which I like if someone posts something they regret or if you have a child and do not agree with their post). I know that a number of my students over the years have told me that if they do not receive a certain number of likes on a social media app they will rescind their posts - this saddens me. I have read articles where this need or drive for ‘likes’ presents a surge of dopamine and actually creates an addiction - a genuine, authentic addiction to social media. I wonder if the lack of ‘likeability’ prevents or lessens this on BeReal or if the emoji and comment options still provide this influx of hormone release.

I do NOT look like put together during a hefty doom scroll. It’s usually after wrestling my 4-month old to put on a diaper and then trying to be lighter than a feather when leaving his room so I don’t wake him up. 

4) As mentioned in a previous post about this app, I am loving that the app does not suck me into Doom Scrolling. There’s only so much to look at each day. Yes, I understand that having 100 friends on the app would directly affect and increase the amount of time spent scrolling but it isn’t infinite like Instagram or Facebook.

5) This leads me to the next point, the uploads are only available to your friend list for 24 hours, much like other ‘story’ settings on other apps. If your photos are only available for a day then there is nothing to Doom Scroll forever on. Upload, scroll, close, and move on with life.

6) Finally, I was initially nervous when I saw that a friend’s location was shared under her photo. I checked a few other friend’s photos and some had the same information while others did not. I played around with my privacy settings and realized you can have control over that. I was relieved.

Update:

14 days - not so stupid

9 friends - makes the app (and me) cooler

Next:

Can I get more friends to join?

Can I hide my status or account from students? Your location shows you on other people’s apps as a suggested friend to add from their area. If I just keep my location off will it prevent them from finding and trying to add me?

Stay tuned!

Keep it Real