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Why an App Called “死了么 (Did I Die?)” Suddenly Went Viral on Chinese Social Media
An app with the very blunt name "死了么 (Did I Die?)" somehow climbed to the top of China's paid App Store charts this week, and yes, people have a lot to say about it.
The name alone does half the work. In Chinese, "死了么" clearly riffs on "饿了么", one of the country's biggest food delivery apps. It's the kind of wordplay that makes you pause, laugh a little, then feel slightly weird about laughing. Uncomfortable? Maybe. Memorable? Definitely.
Function-wise, it's almost too simple. You tap a check-in button once a day. Miss it for two days in a row, and the app sends an email to an emergency contact you've set up. No location tracking, no health data, no wearables, no background monitoring. Just one button, once a day, for a one-time price of 8rmb.
The app was built by three young developers with barely any budget, and it spread without ads. Mostly because it quietly hits a nerve that many people in big cities already have. Long working hours, constant moving, weak neighborhood ties, and a lot of young people living alone. It's not about dramatic danger, it's about the small, uncomfortable thought of whether anyone would notice if you simply went offline for a while.
Of course, people are poking holes in it. Daily check-ins are easy to forget. Email isn't exactly urgent. And no, this isn't going to help in a real emergency. But that's also kind of the point. It's not trying to save you, it's just there to ask a question most people avoid saying out loud.Whether it sticks around or fades as a viral moment, "死了么 (Did I Die?)" has already done something most apps don't. It made people stop scrolling, feel a bit uneasy, and talk about how fragile life can feel, which, for an app this simple, is probably more than enough.
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