11 September 2018
Successful YouTubers aged 60+ seem to be in short supply, but why are these "wisdom ambassadors" choosing not to share their knowledge and insights on the world's second biggest internet search engine?
Despite media coverage suggesting “mature” make-up vloggers (anyone from just 40 years old!) are up and coming in the beauty sector, there is a shocking overall lack of successful YouTubers over 60 who could be using their channels to showcase their skills, talents and passions.
One reason for the lack of older YouTubers may be that men and women aged 60+ simply don’t use the internet as much as younger generations. Where the Office for National Statistics reports this to be true, their latest results also show that recent internet use in adults aged 65 – 74 has increased from 52% in 2011 to 80% in 2018, closing the gap on younger age groups.
According to a report by eMarketer, Facebook will also experience a surge in the number of users aged 55+ in 2018 – in fact, over-55s will become the second-biggest demographic of Facebook users this year (totalling 6.4million), proving that the older generations are not shying away from joining online communities.
So, with a huge increase in older adults on the internet, and research showing that YouTube reaches 95% of online adults aged 55+ in a month, why aren’t we encouraging older generations to become YouTubers?
Our Digital Content Manager, Lexi Lomas, who lead the research into the lack of older YouTubers, believes YouTube is an excellent channel for reaching out to others and opens the door to a variety of benefits for anyone with a lifetime of experiences to share.
“If you’re approaching your later years, videoing yourself and becoming a YouTuber provides an excellent way to stave off loneliness whilst also keeping your mind sharp. It gives you the opportunity to learn new digital skills whilst also enabling you to impart wisdom on others by showcasing different talents, abilities and opinions – proving just how valuable older generations are to our society.
“As an advocate of independent living in later life, I’d love to see more people aged 60 plus become YouTubers and share their stories with the world through a variety of educating and entertaining channels. With so much life experience behind them, and people living longer than ever before, it would be sad not to give older generations the opportunity to share their insights and passions, whilst also providing a legacy to be watched by loved ones for years to come.”
After searching through multiple videos, Lexi found a number of comments on the platform from existing “mature” YouTubers expressing their frustration at the lack of channels with older hosts. One conversation, featured on a video by Paul Armstrong about “Older Youtubers”, captured their thoughts perfectly.
If you’re willing to look hard, there are, of course, certain channels featuring older YouTubers that have become very successful. Here are 5 such channels which we believe demonstrate why more "wisdom ambassadors" should be encouraged to join YouTube and share their valuable skills and experiences.
A channel run by Steve Kaufmann, who is now in his 70’s and can speak 16 different languages. Joining YouTube on July 12th 2007, Steve has spent the past 11 years giving fellow language learners tips and advice – he has even developed a new system for learning languages more effectively, called LingQ. With over 134K subscribers to his channel, and 14,521,000 video views to date, he is the perfect example of a “wisdom ambassador" who is using YouTube to share his knowledge with others.
This channel features 107-year-old cook Masthanamma – dubbed the world’s oldest Youtuber – who lives in a small, thatched hut in a village called Gudivada, in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Filmed by her great grandson, Laxman K and his friend Srinath Reddy, this independent lady demonstrates her skills in how to cook traditional, cultural meals and her presence on the channel has led to “Country Foods” gaining over 1 million subscribers since it was launched on August 19th 2016!
In a recent interview, her great grandson, Laxman, explained exactly how independent and inspirational Masthanamma is:
“She has been living in her hut for over 90 years, and even though her son stays next door and wants her to stay with him, she doesn’t want to be dependent. She was married at the age of 11 and lost four of her five children to Cholera, so she has got used to living by herself. She has been living independently since the time she lost her husband at the age of 22, and has worked in the paddy fields until the age of 105. The people in the village associate her with a banyan tree — majestic, wise and authoritative.”
82-year-old Shirley joined YouTube on October 18th 2011 and has since become a much-loved member of the online gaming community. Her passion for online games, particularly Skyrim, has been captured in over 700 videos from her home in Rocky Mount, Virginia, where she both plays and records her experiences, and her gentle personality has captured the hearts of over 294K subscribers! She has gained that many admirers through her passion, she agreed to add her birthday and postal address in her “About” section on her channel so that fans might send her gifts!
Launched on July 9th 2008, this amazingly popular YouTube channel is hosted by 76-year-old Tim Rowett who has spent his life collecting unusual toys. Living in Twickenham, England, Tim regularly showcases his favourite toys (from a collection of over 20,000!) and how they work in order to enchant his audience of over 844K subscribers. He also runs the Grand Illusions website which was first launched in 1996!
You may be wondering how this channel is so popular, due to its niche content, but considering that research shows 75% of adults turn to YouTube for nostalgia rather than tutorials or current events, perhaps it isn’t so hard to understand after all. In fact, Tim’s channel could easily pave the way for other “older” Youtubers to share their stories and passions from childhood.
If you can believe it, these two independent sisters are 104 and 99 years old, respectively, commanding an audience of 295K subscribers on their YouTube channel! Regularly filmed by family members, who capture the sisters’ everyday conversations in their hometown of Clarksburg, West Virginia, Gramma and Ginga have already experienced a level of fame in America – even making an appearance on the TV show Little Big Shots, hosted by Steve Harvey.
It just goes to show, no matter what your age, if you’re willing to share your stories and passions with others, they will listen and respond.
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