Exist , a new iOS “ social wellness ” app , wants to help middle-aged people connect and create meaningful communities with each other , so they can discuss the issues that concern them and help each other.
The main feature of the app is social journaling. The idea behind social and community journaling is to help people heal together, not alone.
Exist has many tools that can help people relax, such as a mood tracker, audio exercises, a guided meditation feature, and more.
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Exist: An app for middle-aged people
The app was created by Alicia Waldner, founder of marketing firm ADventure Marketing, and iOS developer Jason Jardim, who previously founded a startup called Lounge.
Waldner told TechCrunch that she had attended a number of group mental wellness experiences and heard people say they would like to have these kinds of (community-based) experiences at home. She then set out to create an app that would embody this idea: community building. To help bring her idea to life, Waldner hired Jardim (who later became a co-founder).
While Exist was initially intended to target Gen Z users, it ended up having a bigger impact on middle-aged users. The average age of users who signed up for the app was 40. As a result, Waldner and Jardim decided to focus on that audience.
Exist has a feed similar to TikTok. Users can watch various videos and text posts, which feature people's public journals and their responses to everyday messages. Users can share comments on these posts to share similar experiences or offer support and advice.
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As Waldner explained, what sets Exist apart is its focus on community. Apps like Headspace and Calmalso help, but people still feel very alone in these experiences. Even in real life, people might meditate or journal, but those are solo experiences. “What we did was make it a social experience. So instead of recording all your thoughts and feelings at home and putting them under your bed, you’re sharing them with the world,” Waldner said.
Exist also offers an questioning feature AI-poweredthat prompts users to expand their journals and explore more of their thoughts and feelings. Waldner says the feature is intended to help people get to the bottom of their problems and allow them to think more deeply about something.
Exist's most basic features are offered for free. If users want access to more features, they must pay a monthly subscription of $5.99.
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Exist seems like an interesting initiative in the social wellness space, mainly because it focuses on users middle-aged, while most apps are primarily focused on younger users. Middle-aged people often experience alienation due to changes in their lives (e.g., growing children, retirement, losses). Such an app can help them connect with other people and share their problems, experiences, and anxieties.
Source: techcrunch.com
