Whether it is over the weekend, after practice, or in the middle of class, Hackley juniors and sophomores are receiving a spontaneous notification on their phones saying, “It’s Time to BeReal.” This notification causes a scramble to stop what you’re doing and take a photo with your friends or your surroundings.
BeReal is “a social media outlet that at one point in the day encourages you to take a picture with your front camera and your back camera,” said junior Jonah Hootnick. For many Hackley students who use the app, though, it is so much more than just two photos.
BeReal’s message about making meaningful connections says it’s “the place where you get to see what your friends are actually doing, not what they are pretending to do.” They take pride in being genuine; they don’t use filters, nor can you view others’ posts before posting yourself.
During the pandemic, BeReal saw a surge in users and popularity as everyone was quarantined and isolated. Without being able to meet in person, people connected through the app to see how others spent their free time and which hobbies they took up.
But as COVID died out, people stopped using the app, and BeReal was soon just something that was left in the pandemic.
That all changes now with the juniors, who are pioneering a resurgence of an app that, as Hootnick puts it, “was forgotten for no reason.”
Junior Logan Wissner uses the app to “take a step into your friends’ daily life.” He also enjoys the spontaneous aspect of it.
Grabbing coffee in the city, Junior Morgan Begley snaps a BeReal on the go, showing how the app captures everyday moments far beyond campus.
“You can get goofy and silly with the pictures you take, and it’s overall just fun seeing what your friends are up to,” Wissner said.
Hootnick agrees with Wissner and said, “I think it’s fun to see what my friends are up to, especially on the weekends when I’m not with them.” This way, it seems as though you’re connected with your friends even when you are not with them physically.
This resurgence does not have to be limited to the Hackley community; it could regain the popularity it had during the pandemic. “I’ve told my brother to get on it, and he’s told some of his friends to get on it,” said Hootnick. As Hackley students embrace BeReal once again, they remind us that sometimes the most meaningful connections come from simply being ourselves in the moment.
