The Free Press
NewslettersSign InSubscribe
Nobody Wants to Be Real
BeReal was a respite from Instagram, which has become a way for people my age to mindlessly scroll through an infinite stream of internet memes or bludgeon their own mental health with endless pictures of gorgeous strangers. (Images courtesy of author)
The app, recently acquired by a French video game company, promised something elusive, and arguably impossible: an avenue to be authentic online.
By Jonas Du
07.09.24 — Tech and Business
9
76

At 9:01 p.m. on Monday, my phone buzzed with a notification: “⚠️Time to BeReal.⚠️ 2 min left to capture a BeReal and see what your friends are up to!” I clicked the notification and snapped a photo, which captured images with my front and back iPhone camera. I was on a street corner, on my way to the grocery store. It was pretty dull.

But BeReal’s premis…

Continue Reading The Free Press
To support our journalism, and unlock all of our investigative stories and provocative commentary about the world as it actually is, subscribe below.
Annual
$8.33/month
Billed as $100 yearly
Save 17%!
Monthly
$10/month
Billed as $10 monthly
Already have an account?
Sign In
To read this article, sign in or subscribe
Jonas Du
Jonas Du is a fellow at The Free Press based in Washington, D.C. Jonas began at The Free Press in 2024 as an intern while he was a student at Columbia University, where he was founder and editor-in-chief of the Columbia Sundial.
Tags:
Tech
Comments
Join the conversation
Share your thoughts and connect with other readers by becoming a paid subscriber!
Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

No posts

For Free People.
LatestSearchAboutCareersShopPodcastsVideoEvents
Download the app
Download on the Google Play Store
©2025 The Free Press. All Rights Reserved.Powered by Substack.
Privacy∙Terms∙Collection notice