China’s “Are you Dead” app has gone viral for being a daily safety check in tool to give peace of mind to people who live alone. It costs $0.99 on the appstore and has recently made a name change to Demumu to target the global market. Some call it morbid, some find peace of mind from the app.
Demumu allows you to enter an emergency contact and has only one button in its app. Users have to check in by clicking the button indicating that they are safe. If users fail to click the button for more than 48 hours, the app automatically sends an email to the emergency contact.
The app tries to preserve social connections with people who may live in isolated conditions, such as single young people and the elderly who live alone. By keeping tabs on the user’s availability it seeks to ensure that everyone stays informed and no body has to die without anyone not knowing.
Despite the deluge of social media apps on the market, people of this generation are feeling lonelier than ever. We are having more superficial connections on the web rather than concrete human interaction. The reasons for Gen Z and millennials living alone are driven mainly by changing perspectives of family structure. More young people are avoiding marriage and with higher education we see a migration of people to the cities. Young adults who live in rural areas tend to stay alone.¹ As for the elderly, solo living is most prevalent in richer, developed countries, and women aged 65+ and above. Across 61 countries, rates range from 10% to 50%,² with Singapore and Japan slated to become super aged societies.
The elderly who are living alone are most at risk of loneliness, depression and anxiety. This is a societal problem as elderly who pass away without anyone knowing are only discovered much later when the stench of decomposition of their bodies irks neighbours. By then it is already too late for anyone to intervene medically.
Single young adults who live alone risk being isolated and disconnected from social interactions. Their changing perspectives on family structure will result in declining birth rates and eventually tax them even more as they have to support a larger demographic of elderly adults in society. It is a worrying trend to see such an app going viral as it is a cry for community in our seemingly connected world.
The app solves the problem of elderly dying alone, informing loved ones or relatives. As for younger adults, the app provides some reprieve from the burden of long working hours and growing loneliness in big cities.
- Choi, K., & Ramaj, S. (2023). Trends in solo living among young adults in Canada. Population, Space and Place. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2738.
- Reher, D., & Requena, M. (2018). Living Alone in Later Life: A Global Perspective. Population and Development Review, 44, 427-454. https://doi.org/10.1111/padr.12149.