With her shoulder-length grey hair tinged with blue highlights, Ong Bee Yan cuts a striking figure as she blends a fruit juice for breakfast. The video is among many that she regularly posts on her Instagram account, @grey_evolution.
She may already be 69, but age has not proven a barrier to her becoming a social media influencer. Silver influencers like Bee Yan debunk the belief that seniors are not social media savvy. Far from shying away from social media, those in their 50s, 60s and even 90s are happily posting content on TikTok and Instagram.
According to IMDA’s annual Digital Society Report, the proportion of people above the age of 60 who own smartphones hovers at around 89% in 2022, up from 74% in 2017. A further 92% of the seniors surveyed say they communicate online, which includes interactions on social media platforms.
And we’re not just surfing either – a local newspaper also reported that in 2024, creator accounts across major platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube managed by those over 50 increased by 52 percent in Singapore.
And interestingly, while there has been a declining engagement among posts by younger influencers, this has not been the case for content creators over 50.
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The rise of the silver influencer
The road to becoming a social media influencer for Bee Yan was unexpected.
"I started my private Instagram handle first. Later, I started @grey_evolution because I wanted to use this as a platform to empower and motivate seniors like myself to get out of their comfort zones through my journey."
With the aim of creating content on well-being, her posts range from videos of her dancing under the hashtag #OOTD to doing chin-ups and squats.
Becoming a social media influencer has imbued the grandmother with more confidence and armed her with new skills. She makes it a point to learn from younger influencers to improve her photo- and video-taking techniques. It has also proven to be lucrative. Among other paid partnerships, she was in the Nutrigrade campaign and did an Instagram reel for French beauty brand Caudalie.
Playing Dress Up
As with Bee Yan, becoming a silver influencer has given Gym Tan a new lease of life. The Singaporean, who now resides in northern California, had found herself at a loose end during the pandemic, with few relevant job prospects. Encouraged by her daughter, Mya, she started posting content on TikTok under the handle @californiaistoocasual.
To her surprise, the videos of her and Mya rocking the same outfits such as a backless glittery bodysuit teamed with Aritzia pants accompanied by the tag “62 or 23: Style has no age” attracted comments like “you’re an inspiration. It’s so discouraging when society tries hard to ‘age’ clothing” and “I want to be like you when I grow up”.
For the style maven with three decades worth of experience in the fashion industry – Gym had worked at Club 21 as President of DKNY Jeans International and was also fashion director of Esprit – the responses were an ego boost.
The intergenerational partnership has resulted in content that appeals across different demographics. Now 64 and also posting on Instagram and YouTube, Gym’s career as a social media influencer has taken off beautifully. With a following of more than 417,000, she has been featured in campaigns for fashion and beauty brands as well as been accepted into the Sephora Squad as a paid partnership content creator.
According to an interview with Vogue, Gym’s fans are mainly from the Gen Z age range, who look to her for styling inspiration, clearly demonstrating that age is no deterrent to becoming a fashion influencer. Besides imparting style and beauty tips, the toned mother of two also posts videos on healthy living, such as running with her husband or working out at the gym. By doing so, she hopes to inspire older women to keep in shape.
Dancing Together
Another popular local Internet personality is Uncle Raymond. The 62-year-old’s TikTok videos feature him dancing and interacting with the public. Though not without detractors, his content has garnered 4.2 million likes and 111.4K followers.
While there may be a limited number of silver influencers in Singapore, globally, there are many. Among those popular are @agingwith_style_and_grays and @heymiddleage.
These Asian American influencers post fitness and beauty content which are relatable to their peers. Other popular ones are @grandma_droniak, 95-year-old Lillian Droniak who draws followers for her colourful personality and life wisdom and Fashion Grandmas, a collective of 23 members, aged late 50s to early 70s, who create content and sell products through live-streaming.
The success of silver influencers globally shows that seniors are far from unsavvy when it comes to social media and that becoming an influencer is no longer exclusive to the younger generation.
Silver influencers are reportedly taken more seriously as their posts are perceived as being more real. Younger viewers find they can draw from the wisdom imparted by these seniors while fellow silvers feel uplifted by the positive role modelling provided by their peers.
