No influencers, no filters – BeReal shows the beauty of the lives we actually lead | Jess Cartner-Morley

Frazzled hair, sleepy eyes, warts and all: at last, an app that lets us share the glory of daily life in all its compelling mundanity

I have been on BeReal since March - this year's grooviest, see-and-be-seen social platform. Six months on, I've learned that my life is way more dull than I had realised.

BeReal is a photo sharing app in which once a day, at a random time, every user is sent a notification to post a photo of their surroundings within a two-minute time frame. You don't get to wait for the fun bit of your day, or find a flattering photo on your camera roll. My BeReals are almost invariably of my computer screen, my dog or my fridge. Even being on holiday doesn't always help: sod's law demands that the app's distinctive ping will come while you are buying suncream or at the car hire office, not on the beach.

Jess Cartner-Morley is associate editor (fashion) at the Guardian