If you’ve ever scrolled through Instagram and come away hating your face, your body and your whole life, then you'll probably be glad to know about BeReal, a photo-sharing app that's shaking up social media by ensuring users only represent their true selves online.
The app aims to “make people feel good about themselves and their lives” by removing all the ways in which users can alter their looks, lives and locations.
BeReal co-founder Alexis Barreyat says it was created in order to generate “genuine” interactions online.
The number of monthly users of BeReal, which was founded in 2020, have been increasing steadily, and this year its monthly users increased by 315 per cent, according to Business Insider.
BeReal doesn’t have any filters and it doesn't allow users to post existing photos from their camera reels that may have been touched up. All images posted have to have happened in the here and now.
How does BeReal work?
The app sends out an unscheduled notification at a random time each day, giving the user two minutes to take and upload a photo of themselves or their surroundings.
Images can’t be edited on the app, and existing photos can’t be imported, meaning no Photoshopped pictures make it on to the feed.
The goal of the app is for users to capture themselves in the moment in as realistic a way as possible.
There’s also a block on accessing other people’s images, which can only be seen once you post your own. Your photos are only available to people you have given access to.
With authenticity a favourite buzzword of Gen Z, the app has been praised by users for creating “aggressively normal” feeds that better reflect real life.
'Current social media apps do not connect us'
A 2021 study by Instagram's owner Meta found that the photo-sharing site was having a devastating effect on teenagers’ mental health and body image.
Results from the study, which were given to the Wall Street Journal, showed that 40 per cent of teenage Instagram users in the US and UK who reported feeling “unattractive” said their feelings started when they began using Instagram.
“Thirty-two percent of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse,” read the study. “Comparisons on Instagram can change how young women view and describe themselves.”
The daily diet of heavily filtered faces, “perfect” bodies and influencers who seem to be permanently on holiday, have left younger people unable to differentiate between what is real and what has been curated or Photoshopped.
However, social media influencers have defended themselves, insisting the images they share are a “highlights reel” and are not to be confused with their day-to-day lives.
BeReal, says Barreyat, is the “response to a feeling that current social apps are doing everything else but connecting us with our friends and family”.
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Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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Mr Al Qassimi is 37 and lives in Dubai
He is a keen drummer and loves gardening
His favourite way to unwind is spending time with his two children and cooking
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
TEAMS
US Team
Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth
Justin Thomas, Daniel Berger
Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler
Kevin Kisner, Patrick Reed
Matt Kuchar, Kevin Chappell
Charley Hoffman*, Phil Mickelson*
International Team
Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day
Adam Scott, Louis Oosthuizen
Marc Leishman, Charl Schwartzel
Branden Grace, Si Woo Kim
Jhonattan Vegas, Adam Hadwin
Emiliano Grillo*, Anirban Lahiri*
* denotes captain's picks
