In the world of social media, everyone copies everyone. After the most popular apps launched years ago like Twitter (TWTR), FaceBook and Instagram (META), and Snapchat (SNAP), other social media apps have attempted to copy their formulas and have, for the most part, not succeeded.
One app, BeReal, aimed to compete on a large scale with Instagram by promoting unedited and unfiltered photos once a day. The founders, Kevin Perreau and Alexis Barryeat wanted their users to "be real" and have only a two-minute timeframe to snap a pic of whatever they're doing and upload it, where they'd then be able to see their friend's authentic posts as well.
The app takes a photo with your front and then rear camera with a second or two in-between, with the aim of being authentic to whatever you happen to be doing at the time. You can't like or share a post on BeReal, only "react" to your friends' posts with an emoji selfie or comment.
The app gained popularity in 2022, hitting 11 million downloads in May when it became very popular with students in college.
Instagram is known among its users for copying features from other social media apps. For example, in 2017, Meta launched Instagram stories to post photos or videos that would stay up for 24 hours. Snapchat was the first social media app to debut that feature. Instagram also adopted Snapchat's popular face filters, creating its own on Instagram stories.
In 2020, Meta launched Reels on Instagram and on Facebook in 2021, its own version of TikTok's short-form videos. The Reels button on the Instagram app is the center button on the homepage and has become almost primary to what Instagram was originally known for: posting photos.
Instagram is Copying Once Again
In response to BeReal's skyrocketing popularity, Meta has launched a new feature called Dual, which is located in the Story and Reels section. Pressing the "new post" icon will bring you to the option of posting a story or a reel, and hitting story or reel will show you a camera option, then the Dual mode option.
The Dual feature allows users to take a photo or video with your front and back cameras simultaneously. The feature is intended for content creation, encouraging users to make and share Instagram reels.
But it seems pretty similar to BeReal's format.
TheStreet
TikTok user @selinspencer posted a video with the caption "Omg!! Instagram just introduced their copied version of BeReal and named it "Dual" it's a function on the stories." BeReal actually commented on this video, saying "What a nice way to ruin my day", and another user @altairleiros commented "Instagram seems terrified of being itself."
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However, there are some differences to note between the two features. Dual does not present a post notification once a day with a two-minute window to post an unedited and unfiltered post. Rather, it allows users to use the feature whenever they want and the user can add filters afterwards.
