CS371: Blog Post #2. Authenticity in our Social Sphere - Jake McMorran

Hello everyone and once again thank you for taking the time to read my post for the class blog.

A major component of this course has been observing the spectacle and rapid changes by which social media affects individual lives, as well as the greater social sphere. More specifically, through the development of new apps such as BeReal, we can identify just how influential 'authentic' social media is on our social lives.

A discussion which sparked throughout one of our classes regarded the topic of authenticity within social media. While discussing platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and more, students of the class engaged in discussion on how while there is great amounts of content from users to be observed, the posts can feel 'staged,' 'altered,' and unrealistic to the authenticity of what people experience in real life. The authenticity of posts is brought into question with these apps as users can use filters, edit media, and more, prior to posting the content. Users such as myself and students of this class mentioned the need for an authentic social media experience, that is reflective of the real world and how people naturally live, not a staged life for clout and fame. BeReal, works to provide users with that authentic experience.

Unfortunately, I have come down with the infamous 'Laurier Plague,' causing me to miss out on some critical in-class learning and discussions regarding it's subject and similar; however, I took some time to look into some content that furthers to the discussion had on that day.

Now, it's time to BeReal!

New York Times journalist Sophie Haigney touches on the experience of 'being real' in the world of social media through BeReal.

In a day and age where social media is filled with the annoyance of 'attention-seekers,' wanting to be the next famous influencers, BeReal comes in to bring back authenticity and strike on the nostalgia of users in a time where people were just themselves, showcasing random or more intricate details of their life as the original facebook formula of the 2000s presented. Or at least that is how it is advertised. As presented by Haigeny of her experience of what herself and 20 other friends receive on the daily, the app is structured where users are notified at the same time, "It's time to BeReal." At this time, users are presented with the opportunity to take a photo with both their front and back facing camera showing their friends, followers, and public what they are doing at the time of their post. There's nothing really special or entertaining about these posts as they are designed to showcase whatever task, whether boring or not to the world around you.

You may be thinking, "oh yeah, that must be as authentic as it gets. They need to take a picture of whatever they are doing at the time showcasing real life right?" While this is true to a sense, it only delivers the authenticity users crave when creators follow the rules of the application. In her article, Haigney notes that...

 "...[w]hat you see on BeReal isn’t necessarily any less self-conscious, or more genuine, than what you see anywhere else on the internet."

When I read this quote, this led me to question behavioural trends of users and how we have seen throughout various other social platforms that people will go out of their way to present themselves in a specific light to our social sphere,  trying to emulate an authenticity behind their life through altered, staged presentations of media. While the app itself does not allow users to edit posts or use images from camera role, who is to say that users are not going out of their way to be in certain places at certain times to present an unauthentic version of their lives which seems authentic to the app's users.

To my peers and fellow users of social media, while we have attempts to build on the ensuring the presentation of authentic experiences of users, do you believe we have reached a point where we can never truly have an authentic social media experience? Is our social sphere flooded by the sub-conscious needs of creators to focus on releasing content that gains clout and validation by our public? What is stopping social media and its's creators from being able to simply just 'BeReal?'