Self-presentation of grey-haired influencers on TikTok: active ageing in China

ABSTRACT

As the ageing of global societies continues to accelerate, China is actively responding to population ageing through its national strategy, and the rise of new media has provided more opportunities for the realization of this strategy. With the support of new media platforms such as TikTok, elderly people have started an active ageing trend on the Internet. This research conducts a qualitative content analysis of the videos of the top 10 ‘grey-haired influencers’ on the TikTok platform based on the theory of self-presentation, with a focus on their self-presentation in the new media era. Technological empowerment has facilitated the main narrative of grey-haired influencers, and they have transformed from being ‘presented by others’ to ‘creating self-images’. The self-presentation strategies of grey-haired influencers encompass both adherence to and deviations from Goffman’s theory. These strategies elicit diverse feedback from the audience, which prompts the grey-haired influencers to make further adjustments to their strategies and self-presentation. Ultimately, these influencers strive to create a meaningful space for older individuals, promote the development of a new grey-haired identity, and facilitate the dissemination of narratives about ageing among different age groups, thus fostering the practice of active ageing.

KEYWORDS:

• Grey-haired influencers
• active ageing
• self-presentation
• media image

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

Conceptualization: Guo, L.J., Xu, J.Q., Zhu, R., Peng, L.H., Wang, S.Y .; Methodology:Guo, L.J., Xu, J.Q., Zhu, R, Peng, L.H. and Wang, S.Y.; Formal Analysis and investigation: Guo, L.J., Zhu, R., Xu, J.Q., Peng, L.H. and Wang, S.Y.;Writing-original draft and preparation: Guo, L.J., Zhu, R., Xu, J.Q., Peng, L.H. and Wang, S.Y.; Writing – Review and Editing: Guo, L.J., Xu, J.Q., Zhu, R., Peng, L.H. and Wang, S.Y.; Funding Acquisition: Guo, L.J.; Resources: Guo, L.J., Xu, J.Q., Zhu, R.; Supervision: Guo, L.J. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Data availability statement

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files.

Notes

1. A grey-haired e-group refers to a community or group of older individuals who actively engage in the digital or electronic space, such as social media platforms, online forums, or other electronic communication networks. This group is characterized by members who are typically of an older age, often signified by their grey or white hair while actively participating in digital communication and online activities.

2. In the Shaanxi dialect of China, the term ‘Da’ is commonly understood to signify ‘father’.

3. A kang is a distinctive type of bed made of adobe or bricks in the northern provinces of China; it features a hole underneath for a warming fire.

4. MCN, or Multi-Channel Network, is a company that works with video platforms such as YouTube to offer assistance to a channel owner in areas including product, programming, funding, cross-promotion, partner management, digital rights management, monetization/sales, and/or audience development. Essentially, MCNs help content creators improve their channels, grow their audience, and increase their revenue.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (Grant numbers21YJC740016).