As BeReal’s popularity wanes, particularly among the 16-30 demographic, I explore why some have abandoned the app while others continue to post daily, uncovering the reasons behind its rise, decline, and lasting appeal.
BeReal, the French social media app that took the world by storm in 2022, saw its user base soar to 73.5 million monthly active users by August of that year.
Marketed as an antidote to the highly curated nature of traditional social media, the app, launched 2020, encouraged users – particularly those aged 16 to 30 – to capture a spontaneous, unfiltered snapshot of their daily lives.
However, BeReal’s rapid rise has been followed by an equally noticeable decline.
By February 2023, monthly active users had dropped to 47.8 million, and by March, it had further shrunk to 33.3 million.
Like many digital trends, its initial novelty appears to have worn off, leaving many to wonder: has BeReal fallen victim to the fleeting nature of social media fads?
Joe Sheaves, Strategist and Planner at Socially Powerful – a global influencer marketing agency – believes the app’s success lay in its ability to transform FOMO (fear of missing out) into engagement.
“BeReal’s genius lay in transforming FOMO into engagement – the random daily notification created urgency, and users could only see friends’ posts after sharing their own moments.”
Yet this same structure may have contributed to its downfall.
Without traditional validation metrics or viral potential, many users found that what they were “missing out” on wasn’t compelling enough to sustain long-term engagement.
Bahrin Uddin, a 21-year-old university student, shared her thoughts on why she downloaded BeReal.
She said: “I’ve never understood the hype behind the app. If I were to send a snap of me at work every day, my friends wouldn’t find it interesting since I received a notification most of the time during work.
“So why does it feel different when there’s a two-minute timer involved?
“I downloaded the app in 2023 because my friends wouldn’t stop asking me to.
“I only posted when I was out with them, and honestly, I don’t remember the last time I posted.”
Despite its promise of authenticity, BeReal gradually shifted away from its original intent.
Many users began delaying their posts, waiting for a more interesting or aesthetically pleasing moment to share.
In doing so, the app became just as curated as the platforms it was designed to challenge.
Years of exposure to platforms like Facebook and Instagram have ingrained in young users the habit of presenting an idealized version of themselves.
Even on an app designed for unfiltered sharing, this instinct proved difficult to shake.
As engagement waned, BeReal’s biggest strength – its emphasis on raw, in-the-moment content – became a limitation.
With platforms like TikTok and Instagram offering endless opportunities for creative expression and social validation, BeReal struggled to keep up.
Ironically, TikTok has made being “too real” a norm, with users oversharing personal details in an effort to connect – sometimes leaning into extremes for relatability.
Joe continued: “The app’s commitment to authenticity became both its strength and limitation.
“While it successfully captured the ‘anti-aesthetic’ zeitgeist, its rigid structure of a single daily post with minimal interaction left little room for evolution.
“As competitors integrated similar features within more dynamic platforms, BeReal’s unwillingness to adapt beyond its core concept hindered its staying power.”
Much of BeReal’s appeal stemmed from its role in social circles, particularly among friends and students who enjoyed checking in with each other daily.
But as participation dwindled, the app lost its sense of community, making it feel more like an obligation than an enjoyable habit.
At its peak, BeReal provided a form of low-effort digital intimacy, but without consistent engagement, it became just another app to mindlessly check – much like doomscrolling on other social media platforms.
This was once the app that offered a break from the doomscrolling cycle, but these days, even the die-hard users are just going through the motions.
Take Harry Reed, for example – he’s still posting, but let’s just say it’s more out of habit than excitement.
The 24-year-old, who is in full time work, said: “BeReal isn’t as entertaining as it used to be, with the majority of my friends inactive or having deleted the app.
“Checking and using BeReal has become a habit I’ve never seemed to break.
“I occasionally post public BeReals on the discovery timeline but it doesn’t serve any purpose for me, I just do it because I can and always have.”
Whilst some are still posting their ‘real’ moments on BeReal, there’s a whole different group who’ve managed to dodge the trend entirely.
Emily Grimsey, a 21-year-old university student, is the unicorn of the BeReal world—she’s never used the once-popular social media app.
She said: “I guess I’m aware that these apps are just trends and I know they only last a few months so I don’t partake.
“Granted I was wrong about TikTok – that has lasted years – but I don’t need BeReal to communicate with my friends.
“Also BeReal is like Snapchat streaks. You have to do it daily and that is just another thing to add to my to-do list that I don’t have time for.”
For Mancunians in the 16-30 demographic, this shift may feel all too familiar.
Just as they watched Vine fade into irrelevance, BeReal may be following the same path.
Vine, which had its heyday in the mid-2010s, thrived on spontaneity and short-form content.
However, it was ultimately overshadowed by Instagram and the rapid rise of video-centric platforms like TikTok.
With its lack of adaptability and decreasing engagement, BeReal risks becoming another relic of digital history – fondly remembered but ultimately left behind.
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