Blog 4 - Authenticity and SM Cannot Co-exist

 For this week’s blog, I have decided to analyze the platform of BeReal, and argue that it is nearly impossible to do so on SM. The purpose of the application is to be innovative in the sense of the user provides friends raw content from their daily life. Furthermore, to “capture a BeReal and see what your friends are up to!” We take pictures. We post. We scroll” as highlighted in Haigny’s (2022) article. Furthermore, “If you want to become an influencer you can stay on TikTok and Instagram” (Haigney, 2022). While this utopian vision may be heading in a new direction for SM, users are able to postpone their posts or wait until the perfect time. For example, if a user knows they are going to be spending time with friends in the new few hours, it is ideal for them to take their BeReal then whether it is consciously or subconsciously. Ultimately, I am arguing that it is not possible for a platform to be fully authentic since users have the ability to control the technology in that sense. For example, on BeReal, a user can retake the image over and over until they are satisfied with the outcome. This alone impacts the technological goal of BeReal, to be authentic on SM. 

Below I have attached an article that further proves that SM and authenticity cannot co-exist. https://www.entrepreneur.com/science-technology/why-everyone-and-everything-on-social-media-is-fake/311421

Haigny, S. (2022). BeReal Captures Our Nostalgia for a Time When Social Media Was Boring. The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/magazine/bereal-app.html