BeReal was conceived with the intention of being an app for sharing candid and authentic photos, going against the grain of social networks such as Instagram, with its increasingly standardized feeds and elaborate planning to turn posts viral.
O objetivo do BeReal é compartilhar fotos da “vida real” com amigos, mostrando autenticidade e ausência de filtros.
However, the social network is rolling out a feature that seems to run counter to the app's original purpose: RealPeople, an exclusive feed for famous people. The purpose of this feature is to showcase the daily lives of celebrities, offering a curated timeline of the most interesting people of the moment, including top athletes, artists, singers and others.
What is RealPeople?
De acordo com a empresa, “Com o lançamento do BeReal, as pessoas estavam ansiosas para compartilhar e ver um vislumbre autêntico do cotidiano de seus amigos mais próximos, em vez da exibição filtrada que normalmente encontramos online. O RealPeople é o nosso próximo passo para tentar trazer à tona todas as coisas que gostamos em uma experiência conectada.”
O BeReal também esclarece que o “RealPeople não se trata de influenciar, acumular curtidas ou comentários ou promover marcas”. Você não verá fotos com Photoshop, recomendações de produtos ou anúncios disfarçados de postagens. O objetivo é mostrar que somos todos mais parecidos do que pensamos.”
The app is currently testing this feature in the UK only, but plans to expand it worldwide soon. Users who don't want to see the RealPeople feed can hide their accounts from this new feature. Additionally, users can suggest profiles for the RealPeople feed through a form.
What will be the future of the social network?
With BeReal's rising popularity over the past year and an authentic yet disruptive social networking model, this enthusiasm was expected to last for a long time and become increasingly popular among young people tired of fake feeds.
However, as enthusiasm waned, largely due to the lack of new features being updated on the platform, BeReal began to adopt similar approaches to other social networks, falling into the trap of seeking out celebrity engagement as a way to revitalize its reputation. social network.
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No mês passado, o The New York Times relatou que o aplicativo perdeu o apelo entre os principais segmentos demográficos da Geração Z, resultando em um declínio significativo no número de usuários mensais. “O número de pessoas que usam o aplicativo diariamente diminuiu 61% desde o pico, passando de cerca de 15 milhões em outubro para menos de seis milhões em março, de acordo com a Apptopia, outra empresa de análise”, escreveu Callie Holtermann, do Times.
This demonstrates that to become the next big hit app, companies need to be quick to differentiate themselves and listen to what users want in terms of new features, while remaining true to the initial purpose that made the social network known and loved by young people.
BeReal failed in this regard, not listening properly to its target audience and not maintaining authenticity and sharing photos among friends' feeds.