Remember BeReal? The social media platform promised us a more authentic online experience centered around friends and family when it was launched in 2022, but it has since fallen significantly in terms of both interest and user numbers.
The app is based around timely notifications that encourage people to snap a picture within two minutes to show others what they are ‘really’ up to. But the truth is, people don’t seem to want to have a social media platform based on ‘real,’ everyday people, which means that we can’t have a platform without influencers. So, it should come as no surprise that following its beta in May last year, the ‘RealPeople’ feature is back for good starting on Feb. 6, 2024.
Essentially, RealPeople is a second social feed on BeReal comprised of notable figures like athletes, actors, musicians, and influencers. In essence, notable people, and now even brands, will be able to apply for ‘official’ accounts.
In a statement on Jan. 24 announcing the news, the company said: “RealPeople is an opportunity for notable people (think actors, athletes, and musicians) to keep it real, and share behind the scenes moments to give you, their community, a glimpse of their lives when they aren’t on the world stage. Unfiltered, unedited, unscripted moments.”
To interact with RealPeople accounts, users will be able to become ‘RealFans’ and follow, interact with, and even tag and repost RealPeople users. So, in other words, BeReal is effectively getting its own ‘Discovery’ page and becoming like every other social media platform.
With brands also joining in as RealBrands, it seems likely that influencers will be able to start engaging in brand deals, although it will be interesting to see how sponcon fits into the platform’s ‘real’ remit.
But maybe we’re just getting ahead of ourselves. In fact, in its blog post, the word ‘influencer’ isn’t even mentioned once, though we have a feeling they’ll be applying for RealPeople accounts along with other celebrities and artists. It’s currently unknown what metrics and qualifications BeReal is looking for in potential applicants and if any of these creators will be making money from the arrangement.
Either way, we’ll have to wait until Feb. 6 to see how it all unfolds.
