Many students at Venice High are using the new and popular photo sharing app BeReal. 

Users get a notification once a day at a different time each day. They have two minutes to take the photo to share with friends what they are doing at that very moment. Most often students get the notification at school. 

A photo is taken from the front and back camera to show yourself and what you are seeing or doing. Users are only able to see the photos your friends have posted after they have posted their own.  

Users can also see how many screenshots and retakes occurred to clarify the authenticity of their BeReal. The additional information truly informs how real their BeReal is. 

Friends are also able to see if the photo was taken after the allotted two minutes and it will be marked as late. 

Senior Samantha Corona has taken multiple of her BeReals at school, whether it be after a football game, during class, while doing service around the school or during cheer practice. 

Corona loves how laidback it is.

“It’s not something people take seriously, it’s just a silly thing that everyone has,” she said. “It’s basically what’s trending right now.”

The photo goes away after 24 hours, then the next BeReal notification occurs. 

Senior Lucie Combredet, a user since June, tries to use the app every day. 

“I like BeReal because I feel like I can just show what I’m doing on a day to day basis,” she said. “It’s a way of seeing what everyones up to.”  

Reactions are another cool part of BeReal culture. 

“I love making reactions to the BeReals my friends post,” Corona said. ”You can make little faces showing your reactions with what you’re doing. I love when I post my BeReal and my friends react.”

Senior Adam Weiner thinks that the innovations BeReal offers may be adopted by larger social media platforms like Instagram or Snapchat. 

“I think an app like Instagram is going to take it over,” he said.  

Combredet added that BeReal could become one of the most used social media apps.

“I do really like the concept of BeReal,” she said. “I thought it would get old really fast, but it’s been around for a while now and I don’t think people are going to stop using it because a lot of people like it.”