Granfluencers: da velhice à senioridade digital

Abstract

This investigation is motivated to understand the elderly as an active member in cyberspace. People aged 65 and over who act as influencers in digital social media, called Granfluencers. To this end, two Instagram profiles were selected for case studies: Baddie Winkle and Iris Apfel. The main objective of this work is to demonstrate that the trajectory towards the digital seniority of these agents represents the emergence of a new culture within the scope of cyberculture. Specifically, we sought to ascertain whether Granfluencers exercise intergenerational influence, which are their main motivations and ideologies and whether they act as brand partners. For that, Thematic Analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006) was chosen as the method , in an essentially qualitative research. 95 posts were coded using the MAXQDA 2020 software. From this process, 6 main themes emerged: authenticity, disruption, opinion formation, intergenerationality, idolatry and digital marketing. The advanced analysis of such fundamental pillars of the presence of Granfluencers in the digital space indicates that they have authenticity, authority and credibility. In addition, they stimulate intergenerationality, as well as they influence the thinking, the behavior and the consumption of different age groups. It is possible to consider the thesis that Granfluencers are contributing to the continuous construction of a more diverse and inclusive digital society.