Using Bereal feels like a nostalgia trip to the early history of social media, writes Yle reporter Miika Koskela.
On a weekday evening at 9 pm in the country, my friends are in a car, bus or elevator on their way home. Those who have already reached their destination stare at the television or computer screen. One cooks and the other eats.
All this I can see by browsing their Bereal updates.
I started using Bereal in August, when it became the most downloaded iPhone application in Finland.
In Bereal, I can see updates from people I actually know. I don’t follow the first influencer, brand or news agency, and the app’s algorithm doesn’t force-feed me dance videos of Korean teenagers.
This social media is about ordinary everyday life. There are double chins, sleepy eyes, lounging on the sofa, jogging paths and everyday meals without jewelry. And lots of pictures of display terminals. Angles and exposures are a bit of a pain.
Bereal feels like a nostalgia trip to the early history of social media: a time when self-presentation online was not yet so smooth.
Anti-Instagram authenticity is fleeting
Bereal has been called the anti-Instagram, but after the honeymoon, I’ve noticed familiar features from Instagram when using it.
The update should be done immediately when the notification comes, but when the Bereal moment of the day surprises you in the middle of a trip to the bathroom or an important meeting, it is not done. If you are putting off the post for a long time, why not immediately wait for the most interesting peak moment of the day.
We have stepped onto a sloping surface, and soon Bereal’s feed can start to be filled with perfectly thought-out breakfast toppings.
In the beginning, I kept only my close friends in Bereal contacts. Now coworkers, relatives and former classmates have started sending friend requests. If you don’t dare refuse the request, you have to consider with whom, where and when you can appear in the updates.
Publicity control has begun and authenticity on this platform is also dying a slow death.
Bereal is threatened by the familiar legalities of social business
Bereal has not yet established its position among social media services, and its flight may be short.
In recent weeks, the application has not worked quite reliably. Notifications don’t come on time, and pictures don’t load. The development may not have kept up with the increase in the number of users.
Bereal does not yet have a monetization logic. Its use is free, and the platform does not sell the data it collects to third parties, at least for now. However, the company has said that it plans to launch additional paid features to avoid adding ads to the platform.
The main social platforms have already copied Bereal’s idea. On Instagram, the Now function, which is like a video version of Bereal.
It could very well be that one of the above-mentioned social junkies buys the entire company and merges it into their own application selection.
Content repeats itself
The next evening, the notification will come again at 21:00 in the country.
My former student friend is in band practice, and the colleague’s dog is sitting on the windowsill. In most updates, you are staring at the screen again on the sofa.
Bereal can fall down because the content on the platform is boring and repetitive.
Or then not. Another 75 percent of my contacts still managed to update.