The suspension of a short video channel throws the spotlight on how influencers attract elderly users and the risks seniors face online
Z hang Jian, a 62-year-old farmer in Anhui province, was devastated when he heard that Yixiaoqingcheng, his favorite influencer on Douyin (China’s version of TikTok), announced a temporary hiatus from social media due to family issues on August 24. For the past three years, visiting Yixiaoqingcheng’s channel has been a daily ritual for Zhang.
How China’s Seniors Got Hooked on Short Video Influencers is a story from our issue, “Online Odyssey.” To read the entire issue, become a subscriber and receive the full magazine. Alternatively, you can purchase the digital version from the App Store.
Yang Tingting is a Chinese editor at The World of Chinese. Interested in telling Chinese stories, she writes mainly about culture, language, and society.
