Alone, but not lonely

Loneliness is a big modern trend — it is also a profitable opportunity for marketers to provide solutions

- HARISH BHAT

Earlier this year, Samsung unveiled a spectacular new offering, NEON, at the much awaited Annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) at Las Vegas. NEON was the talk of the show, because it was an “artificial human”.

Unlike an AI assistant or chatbot, which merely provides answers to queries, NEON is a virtual being that behaves like a real human companion who can be a friend, display emotions, converse and even sympathise with you. NEON is not meant to replace human jobs, but on the other hand, it could help combat loneliness. It could offer human-like company to the elderly, the sick and the lonely. It could be their confidant, or just their gossip partner. In other words, NEON will serve lonely people.

A problem crying for solutions

With Neon, Samsung has perhaps zoned in on a big human problem that is crying out for solutions — because loneliness is a major trend, and growing rapidly. Consider these statistics. In India, 7.5 per cent of homes have single parents. There is an annual migration of 9 million people from rural to urban India, which often means breaking down of family units.

Worldwide, life expectancy has been rising steadily, and already stands at 68 years in India today. This means more elderly people suffering loss of their spouse, and living alone thereafter for longer periods of time. A Euro Monitor study now projects a 128 per cent growth in single-person households over the next decade.

In addition to all this demographic data, late marriages contribute to loneliness, as do smaller families.