(NewsNation) — While social media has traditionally trended with millennials and Gen Z, recently a new wave of influencers are paving their own path — “granfluencers” are becoming social media celebrities and they’re making big money doing it.
C.J. Scarlett and Helen Polise are both granfluencers, achieving celebrity status on social media. They’re just two of many older Americans discovering the virtual fountain of youth.
“When the pandemic hit I was without work for a while, so I had some extra time on my hands. I downloaded TikTok, I had already been on Instagram. So I started making content. In my own mind, I wanted to be a content creator so I ran with it during the pandemic,” Polise said.
Polise’s content is unmatched.
“As an older person, I feel much more comfortable being my authentic self. I don’t feel like I have to perform for the camera or be somebody else; I can just be myself,” Polise explained. “That’s what I think has been most attractive and what people grab onto with my content.”
Pictures are worth a thousand words, or even millions of followers leading to substantial earnings on social media.
“Some of these granfluencers, as they are so called, are pulling in major deals with big corporations to sell their products,” said Bradley Schurman, the founder and CEO of Human Change. “There’s good reason for this. They’ve got followers in the millions now.”
Whether it’s TikTok or Instagram, social media is no longer just for the young. People with more life experience are building new fan bases.
“I would strongly recommend that anybody that’s got something to say and my age group start learning about how to say it and getting it out there,” said granfluencer Shannon Nelson.
“If you reach a certain number of followers you’re bringing in cash. If you start bringing in high levels of engagement this can actually be a career for you,” Schurman said.
Some granfluencers earn six figures, while others, like Nelson, do it just for fun.