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Hubspot’s State of Social Media Report covers use trends among American adults. The most recent came out in April of 2023 and it had some really interesting tidbits. 

Facebook and Youtube are the two biggest platforms at the moment, grabbing 69% and 57% of adults’ attention respectively. Instagram is a close third with 45% of adults having and using an Insta account. 

BeReal gained tons of momentum last year, growing by 313%. This platform interests me even though I don’t use it. My older kids are on it and I think one of the biggest drivers of engagement there is that it requires a short daily commitment for use. 

Once a day at a random time during the day, the app sends a notification to the user, opening a two minute window for them to take a photo of their current activity and post it. The app opens the user’s camera and takes one shot of their face and another shot of whatever they’re looking at. The daily photos are saved for the user, but don’t keep showing up in the feed past the day they’re posted. Users can comment on each other’s posts or post candid photo reactions under their friend’s posts for that day. 

The user interface is really simple and easy to use, making compliance easy and fun. My kids often surprise me by including me in the photo if I’m driving them, or helping them with homework. I’m tempted to join myself but don’t want to intrude on my kids’ fun with their friends and cousins. 

I think BeReal’s approach and their popularity is a great illustration of what is working in social media and what motivates use compliance – ease of use, authenticity, connection, and story-telling with images. Users seem to find the approach a refreshing break from filtered and posed influencer-driven content. The primary value most people are getting out of it is authentic connection to their loved ones’ daily lives. 

Brands that want to succeed in social media need to offer value, not gimmicks. Whether through humor, personal connection, or useful education, the brands that get the most engaged eyeballs in the attention economy are giving more power and more value to their users.