Ikaria - An App for Loneliness

Life expectancy has gone down for me in the US, in large part due to the opioid crisis. However, the general trend around the world is that people are living longer. But that’s not long enough, tech has answer. This past Tuesday, a new app called Ikaria was launched as a beta test with no less than $1.5M in seed funding. The premise of the app is that it’s trying to alleviate/eliminate all those feelings of “profound loneliness that social media can induce” and seeks to help users to cultivate “richer personal relationships for a happier and longer life.” The app claims to meets at the intersection of iMessage group chats, mental health content, and personal therapy. A use case was outlined, “If Ikaria knows you’re in communication with your mom, it can remind you to call her or send messages that say more than “How do I fold a fitted sheet?”” …

Pretty lame. 

The solution to isolation and loneliness caused by social media is … more engagement with your device? Don’t get me wrong, I’m just as pro tech as the next person. I recently lost my wallet, we realized that it was almost inconsequential as long as I had my passport on hand. Nearly everything could be done via phone/apps. However, I’m not sure substituting tech for real-life engagement equates to long-term or even short-term happiness or value. Studies have proven that if you control for a certain income level and health, engagement with other people, having a partner, exercising, eating a moderate diet are all contributors to human happiness over the long – term. To say that an app can remedy isolation from social media with more media platforms is not only not believable, it contributes to the problem with a less adopted flavor.