I Don't Need To BeReal

Submission 1,723

Part of a series on BeReal. [View Related Entries]

About

I Don't Need To BeReal, continued I Need To BeX, is a phrasal template and catchphrase that makes a pun out of the word BeReal, providing a humorous alternative to participating in the social media app's daily posting routine. The trend grew in late 2022 on TikTok with users predominantly using the sped-up audio of Larissa Lambert's song "Weak" as their sound.

Origin

On August 20th, 2022, Twitter^[1] user SalSaleman1 posted the first known memetic use of the "I Don't Need To BeReal" catchphrase when he tweeted, "I don’t need to BeReal. I am real," gaining only one like in two months (shown below, left). Other Twitter users followed in his footsteps, either inspired or having parallel thoughts. For instance, on September 16th, 2022, Twitter^[2] user tyfrench_ tweeted, "i don’t need to BeReal i need to BeSedated," gaining over 100 likes in one month (shown below, right).

On September 24th, 2022, TikToker^[3] thenameiscayy posted a video that spread the phrase's use to TikTok. She used the sound^[4] "weak speed – love?¿" which was a sped-up version of Larissa Lambert's song "Weak," and wrote in text overlay, "I don't need to BeReal / I need to BeAppreciated." Over the course of one month, the TikTok received roughly 104,000 plays and 13,900 likes (shown below).

Spread

Following TikToker thenameiscayy's video, multiple users on the platform started using the sound^[4] and following her phrasal template. For instance, on September 26th, 2022, TikToker^[5] sabidoodl posted an iteration, writing in text overlay, "i don't need to BeReal / i need to Be Sum1's crush," and gaining roughly 130,800 plays and 25,600 likes in one month (shown below, left). Also on September 26th, TikToker^[6] _aleifr posted an iteration, writing, "I don't need a BeReal / I need to BeWithYou," and gaining roughly 123,500 plays and 33,100 likes in one month (shown below, right).

More viral versions surfaced in October 2022 which continued into the rest of the month. For instance, on October 9th, 2022, TikToker^[7] rylanoliviamcknight posted an iteration that received roughly 770,900 likes in 18 days (shown below, left). On October 11th, 2022, TikToker^[8] noodletheminisausage posted a video showing the account's sausage dog, gaining roughly 13.7 million plays and 3.5 million likes in 16 days (shown below, right).

The phrasal template then spread in usage to image macro memes on Instagram and elsewhere. For instance, on October 12th, 2022, the Instagram^[9] page sigmainvestor posted an ironic Sigma Grindset meme with Thanos, captioning it, "I don't need to BeReal I need to BeMakingMoney," and earning over 525 likes in 15 days (shown below).