image copyright, Getty Images
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- reporter, Stephen McDonell
- reporter, Chinese correspondent
Recently, a new application (app) with a gloomy name has been gaining great popularity in China.
The structure of this app, called ‘Are you dead?’ is simple. Users who download it need only prove that they are alive by pressing the large button on the app once every two days.
If the button is not pressed for several days in a row, a notification is sent to pre-designated emergency contacts informing them that the user may be in danger.
This app, which was launched without much attention in May of last year, has been receiving explosive interest in recent weeks, with a large number of young people from single-person households in urban areas downloading it.
It has become the most downloaded paid app in China.
According to several research institutes, the number of single-person households in China is expected to reach up to 200 million by 2030, Chinese state media Global Times reported.
And this app is aimed at these people, claiming to be “a safe companion… for office workers who live alone, students who live far from their hometown, and anyone who chooses to live alone.”
One Chinese social media user said, “No matter what stage of life you are in, anyone living alone needs this. The same goes for people in vulnerable situations, such as introverts, people with depression, and the unemployed.”
Another user said, “If you live alone, you have the fear that you could die alone with no one to ask for help. Sometimes I wonder who will take care of my body if I die here alone.”
image copyright, Screenshot/Moonshot Technologies
Wilson Ho (38), who lives alone about 100km away from his family, also downloaded this app for this very reason.
Currently he lives and works in Beijing. He returns to his hometown to his wife and children twice a week, but because he has to focus on his current project, he stays alone and far away from his family. It is said that most people sleep on site.
Ho explained, “I was worried that something would happen to me, that I would die alone in a rented house, and that no one would know about it,” and “So I downloaded this app and set my mother as my emergency contact.”
He also added that he was afraid that sales of the app would be banned due to negative opinions, and that he quickly downloaded it immediately after it was released.
In fact, some point out the app’s gloomy name and say it could bring bad luck.
There are also opinions requesting that the name be changed to a more positive one, such as ‘Are you okay?’ or ‘How are you?’
The app’s provocative name may have helped its current popularity, but developer Moonscape Technologies said it was aware of criticism of the app’s name and was discussing a potential name change.
image copyright, Screenshot/Moonshot Technologies
This app, registered under the name ‘Demumu‘ outside of China, ranks second in the paid utility app category in the United States, Singapore, and Hong Kong, and fourth in Australia and Spain. This appears to be the influence of Chinese people living overseas.
In fact, the name ‘Are you dead? (Si-le-ma)’ is a pun based on the similarity in Chinese pronunciation to the food delivery app ‘Are you hungry? (E-le-ma)?’
It was initially released as a free app, but has now become a paid app. However, the price is cheap at 8 yuan (about 1,600 won).
Little is known about the developer of this app, but it is known that three people born after 1995 formed a small team in Zhengzhou, Henan Province to develop the app.
Currently, the value of this app has clearly grown. One of these three people, a man using the name ‘Mr. Guo’, said in an interview with local Chinese media that they plan to raise funds by selling 10% of their shares for 1 million yuan (about 211 million won). This is a very large amount compared to the app development cost they say is 1,000 yuan (about 210,000 won).
In addition, they are also showing moves to expand their target customer base. In a country where more than a fifth of the population is over 60, new ideas for the elderly are said to be being developed.
As if to show that it is seriously considering this idea, Moonscape Technologies released a post over the weekend saying, “We want more people to pay more attention to and understand older people living at home. They too have dreams, are trying to live, and deserve attention, respect, and protection.”
The company did not respond to inquiries from the BBC.
