This school year, a new app has taken over the lives of OHS students- BeReal. This app is a new form of social media that allows students to share with their friends what they are doing everyday. At random once a day, the app will send out a notification that allows users to post their BeReal. Once this notification comes out, users have two minutes to post a photo of what they are doing. Once the two minutes is up, users must post late, and they are considered fake. 

Lots of students at OHS have taken part in the new trend. Senior Emily Schmidt said, “I enjoy using BeReal because it allows me to see what all my friends are doing at the same time.” Scrolling through their feed, users can see what their friends have posted. Most social media platforms have a “like” feature where users can like someone’s post to show that they enjoy the post. BeReal has a very unique feature that is similar to liking which is called reacting. Schmidt said, “The one thing I dislike about the app is that your friends can see your reactions.” With this feature, users can take a small picture of their face to show their facial reaction to their friend’s post. 

The app is very unique and has gained the attention of students very quickly. Schmidt said, “I downloaded the app because I heard other people talking about it and It sounded cool and different.” Although a lot of students are joining the BeReal trend, some students have decided not to download the app. Senior Cole Piepho said, “I don’t care a lot about social media, so since I already have other apps like Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram, I feel like I don’t need to get another app.” Although Piepho admits the app has a cool concept, he doesn’t use social media enough to feel motivated to download the app.

BeReal is not only affecting the students of OHS, but also the teachers. Student teacher Ms. Lisbeth Magdaleno-Garcia said, “I had BeReal over the past summer but had to delete the app when I started student teaching.” Ms. Magdaleno-Garcia has an interesting perspective on the app considering she is not only a college student, but also a teacher. She believes the app is fun, however it has become a big distraction in school. Ms. Magdelano-Garcia said, “My first week teaching here, I was talking about what it means to be a leader. In the middle of my lesson, the BeReal notification went off and students interrupted the lecture to post.” Ms. Magdelano-Garcia felt excited going into her first week of teaching, although after being interrupted by students posting, she felt upset. 

BeReal has peaked in popularity and may be heading towards its downfall. Ms. Magdelano-Garcia said, “I was a freshman in high school when Instagram was real and everyone posted what they wanted and it was funny, now Instagram is glamorized.” When BeReal first came out, users made it a priority to post within the two minutes. The whole message behind the app is to end the use of fake filters and posing. BeReal was made to show people’s real lives, and not the glamorized version shown on other social media platforms. As the app has risen in popularity, users have started to treat the app like other social media. Users wait until they look good or are doing something interesting to post. Soon enough, the BeReal trend may die off at OHS due to the lack of authenticity. 

Overall, BeReal has become a fun part of students’ everyday lives. If someone is looking for a unique new way to interact with their friends, BeReal is the app for them.