Silver surfers: how China ‘granfluencers’ steal spotlight, taking over social media

China is experiencing an extraordinary rise in “granfluencers,” or senior influencers, since 2019, as its growing ageing population embraces the online community.

Major social media platforms in mainland China have seen a rapid increase in senior users in recent years. RedNote reported over 30 million active users aged 60 and older by 2024, a remarkable threefold increase in just two years. Collectively, these seniors contributed over 100 million posts to the platform.

Similarly, Douyin, the mainland Chinese counterpart to TikTok, has recorded over 600 million videos created by users in the same age group as of April 2021.

Like influencers from other demographics, granfluencers thrive in a variety of fields.

For instance, a 68-year-old woman from eastern China’s Shandong province has attracted nearly 1.1 million followers through over 500 videos featuring her and her friends re-enacting popular TV dramas on the account @bendaniangyingzi since 2023.

Another account, @wangdajielaile, boasts over 4.5 million followers, showcasing three women in their 70s rapping while cooking in their Beijing suburb home.