Can TikTok promote a healthier ageing paradigm? A case study of older digital celebrities from China

TikTok, as an emerging digital geography, has transformed remote communication to a live, instant, and uncannily realistic interaction. To explore the implications of TikTok on older adults, this paper examines the accounts of older Chinese TikTok celebrities - their participation in TikTok as well as the major discourses of ageing mediated by TikTok. An empirical study was conducted by quantitatively analysing web-scraped comments on older TikTok celebrities and by interpreting the themes present in these popular TikTok accounts. The empirical results unveil that TikTok facilitates the social interactions of older digital celebrities by creating a caring environment. However, the healthy ageing paradigm promoted by the Chinese government is also promoted by TikTok's recommendation algorithm and platform capitalism. The healthy ageing paradigm prioritises older adults who are healthy and independent, and as a result marginalises those who have a disease or disability or are dependent on others in some way. As a result, the healthy ageing paradigm promoted by TikTok constitutes another form of ageism. Responding to the call to go beyond the digital, our research contributes to digital geography by examining the geographies of ageing mediated by TikTok.

Automated summary

This paper examines the implications of TikTok on older adults through analyzing the accounts of older Chinese TikTok celebrities. The empirical study reveals that TikTok facilitates social interactions of older digital celebrities and creates a caring environment. However, TikTok also promotes the healthy ageing paradigm prioritized by the Chinese government, which marginalizes older adults with diseases, disabilities, or dependency on others.