Unlikely trendsetters

In recent years, Chinese social media platforms like RedNote have seen a growing number of users over 60 sharing content online. Accounts featuring words such as "grandpa", "grandma", "auntie", or "uncle" in their user names have emerged across these platforms.

The seniors post short videos and updates about their daily lives, fashion choices, travel experiences, and practical know-how, creating their own takes on Gen Z–style "A day in my life" and "Outfit of the day" trends.

Notably, these "silver-age" accounts often attract more attention on social media than those run by younger users.

The account "Kangkang and his grandpa" regularly shares street-style snapshots featuring the 90-year-old grandfather's "Outfit of the day". In the photos, he might be seen heading out for coffee in a hoodie with headphones on, or standing on the street in a leather jacket and jeans. The account has over 1.3 million followers on RedNote.

"Grandma Pan", an account of a 66-year-old devoted to sharing experiences of village life and cooking tips, has also amassed more than 5 million fans on RedNote.

According to statistics released by Red-Note, the number of monthly active users aged 60 and above surpassed 30 million by the end of 2024, while the number of senior content creators has tripled over the past two years. Similarly, on Douyin, the shortvideo platform, about 13 percent of users are over 60.

Du Peng, dean of the School of Population and Health at Renmin University of China, described it as a dual trend: older adults are eager to participate in society through online expression, while the rapid development of the internet has made social media more accessible to them.

Those who began using the internet in their 40s or 50s are now in their 60s and have become senior netizens, Du said.

"They are generally well-educated and in good health, which lays the foundation for their active participation online," Du added."Different from the past, using smartphones and the internet has now become part of many elderly people's daily lives."