Senior Online Celebs: Elderly Chinese increasingly active on short video sharing platforms

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Online short video sharing platforms are attracting millions of Chinese youths. But the expanding elderly population is also becoming active users, both on and off screen. And they might just be the next growth point for these platforms. Victor Ning has more.

He might look like a regular grandpa.

But he has over 2 million followers on Douyin, the Chinese version of short video sharing app tic tok.

59 years old Yang Su was introduced to Douyin by chance and uploaded his first 15-second video 2 years ago.

And not without surprise, he went viral almost over night.

YANG SU "The short video platform has all sorts of content on it but I think classical piano music is still rare. Plus, being an elderly uploader might have also brought some elements of surprise."

Now Yang also livestreams for his fans, and even has started an online piano course. Yang says being an internet celebrity has enriched his life.

YANG SU "Being an uploader has greatly changed my life. It has brought more fun to my life, and made positive changes to my work as well. Now there are also many people asking me questions about piano online."

China is facing a fast aging population. But, AgeClub, a consulting firm focusing on the senior citizens market, thinks China's aging population might actually be an opportunity in disguise.

DUAN MINGJIE CEO & FOUNDER, AGECLUB "Short video sharing platforms have been penetrating the elderly population fast since the beginning of this year, as the younger market is getting saturated. The elderly are a new growth point for the platforms. Almost 300 million people over the age of 50 are not online yet. These people will become a new market for the platforms to compete for."

But Duan thinks the seniors market and being an older internet personality come with unique features and requirements.

DUAN MINGJIE CEO & FOUNDER, AGECLUB "The elderly might show a longer learning curve when using these video sharing apps. They might also not be able to work as intensively as the young online personalities. For teams behind some of the older online celebrities, they also need to be more creative to differentiate their clients from their younger counterparts."

The aging population might present new business opportunities for the video platforms, but for seniors like Yang, video sharing is more about enjoying their golden years. Victor Ning, CGTN.