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Social media’s 70-up ‘grandfluencers’ debunking aging myths
Joan MacDonald’s health was in shambles at age 71. She was overweight and on numerous medications with high cholesterol, rising blood pressure and kidney trouble.
Her daughter, a fitness coach, warned that she’d wind up an invalid if she didn’t turn things around. She did, hitting the gym for the first time and learning to balance her diet with the help of a brand new tool, an iPhone.
Now 75, MacDonald is a hype beast for health with a bodybuilder’s physique and 1.4 million loyal followers on Instagram.
She’s among a growing number of “grandfluencers,” folks 70 and up who have amassed substantial followings on social media with the help of decades-younger fans.
“It’s so rare to find someone her age being able to do all these things,” said one of her admirers, 18-year-old Marianne Zapata of Larchmont, New York. “It’s just such a positive thing to even think about.”
Both aspirational and inspirational, older influencers are turning their digital platforms into gold.
MacDonald has paid partnerships with the sportswear and supplement brand Women’s Best, and the stress-busting device Sensate. And she just launched her own health and fitness app not so many years after learning how to use digital technology herself.
On TikTok, four friends who go by @oldgays — the youngest is 65 — have 2.2 million followers, including Rihanna. They have an endorsement deal with Grindr as they delight fans with their clueless answers to pop culture questions.
Others focus on beauty and style, setting up Amazon closets with their go-to looks and putting on makeup tutorials live. Lagetta Wayne, at 78, has teens asking her to be their grandmother as she tends to her vegetables and cooks them up in Suisun City, California, as @msgrandmasgarden on TikTok.
Wayne, with 130,500 followers amassed since joining in June 2020, owes her social media success to a teenage granddaughter. Her very first video, a garden tour, clocked 37,600 likes.
“One day my garden was very pretty and I got all excited about that and I asked her if she would take some pictures of me,” Wayne recalled. “She said she was going to put me on TikTok and I said, well, what is TikTok? I had never heard of it.”
Most people ages 50 and up use technology to stay connected to friends and family, according to a 2019 survey by AARP. But less than half use social media daily for that purpose, relying on Facebook above other platforms.
Just 37% of those 70 and older used social media daily in 2019, the research showed. Since coronavirus struck, older creators have expanded their horizons beyond mainstay Facebook and gotten more voracious, often driven by the growing number of feeds by people their own age, said Alison Bryant, senior vice president for AARP.
In the California desert town of Cathedral City, Jessay Martin is the second youngest of the Old Gays at 68.
“I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life relaxing pretty much, and I do, but this is picking up more for us. I had a very structured week where Monday I worked the food bank at the senior center, Tuesday and Friday I did yoga for an hour and a half, Wednesday I was on the front desk at the senior center. I was just sort of floating by, not being social, not putting myself out there in the gay community. And boy, has the Old Gays changed that,” Martin said.
Like MacDonald, they do a lot of myth busting about what’s possible in life’s sixth, seventh and eighth decades.
“They’re showing that anybody can do these things, that you don’t have to be afraid of aging. The 20 and 30 somethings don’t often think about that,” Bryant said. “The authenticity that we’re seeing in some of these older influencers is really refreshing. That’s part of the complexity of their narratives. They’re bringing other parts of their lives to it. They’re grandparents and great-grandparents and spouses. They’re more comfortable in their own skins.”
Sandra Sallin, a blogger and artist, has slowly built her following to 25,300 on Instagram. Her reach recently extended to the British Olympic gold-medal diver Tom Daley, who raved about her mother’s cheesecake recipe after his coach spotted it online and made it for her athletes and staff. Sallin, a lover of lipstick who focuses on cooking and beauty, also shares photos from her past and other adventures, like her turn last year in a vintage Spitfire high above the Cliffs of Dover.
“I wanted to expand my world. I felt that I was older, that my world was shrinking. People were moving, people were ill,” Sallin said. “So I started my blog because I wanted to reach out. After that, I heard about this thing called Instagram. It was really hard learning it. I really stumbled my way in. I’m shocked because most people who follow me are 30 and 40 years younger. But there are people who are older, who have kind of given up and say, ‘You know, I’m going to start wearing lipstick.'”
Toby Bloomberg, 69, in Atlanta is a Sallin supporter. She discovered Sallin after Sallin competed on the short-lived Food Network show “Clash of the Grandmas.”
“She talks a lot about aging. That’s quite an unusual phenomenon on social media, which is obviously dominated by people far younger than we are,” Bloomberg said.
MacDonald said she was surprised at the beginning that people actually cared what she had to say.
“Why would people want to follow an old broad,” she giggled from her home in Ontario, Canada. “My daughter, Michelle, cleared that up. She said it’s what you’re representing, that people can do what they think they’ve not been able to do or were told that they couldn’t do.”
Grace Maier, 32, is home full time with her two kids, ages 6 months and 2. She follows Barbara Costello, a 72-year-old Connecticut grandmother who uses the handle @brunchwithbabs.
“She does these posts, ‘Did your mom ever tell you?’ and I followed her immediately on Instagram,” Maier said. “Her content brings me joy! She’s got all of these life hacks and tips that remind me of things my grandma shared with me before she passed. She also doesn’t take herself too seriously and just seems like the kind of person who would welcome you into her home.”
Mae Karwowski, founder and CEO of the influencer marketing agency Obviously, has more than 100 influencers in her network between the ages of 60 and 80. With more than a billion users on Instagram alone, she points to the successes on that platform of 93-year-old Helen Ruth Elam (baddiewinkle), 67-year-old Lyn Slater (iconaccidental) and 100-year-old style legend Iris Apfel.
There’s another aspect to the reach of seniors: Grandparents and grandchildren who have teamed up to share their adventures together, from traveling the world to Nerf gun battles.
“Mainstream media, I would say, presents a really narrow viewpoint on this age group. What’s great about social media is you can follow a really cool 75-year-old woman who is just doing her thing in Florida and that’s fun. That’s different. And she’s funny,” Karwowski said. “The 21-year-old fashion model influencer is managed. She has a team. She has designers falling all over themselves to give her everything. She has professional photographers. A lot of these 70-plus influencers are doing it all.”
Candace Cima, 74, taught herself to shoot and edit video for Instagram by watching YouTube tutorials. She hopped on the platform in February 2019 as a fresh voice on fashion and style while encouraging her audience not to be afraid of aging. Her husband sometimes helps out with photos for @styleinyour70s.withleslieb (Leslie is her middle name).
“I’m still in that learning curve, I have to be honest. Two and a half years ago, I didn’t even know what an influencer was,” said Cima, in Ithaca, New York. “I’ve always had a lot of ideas about aging. I don’t understand why aging has such a negative connotation.”
With 37,900 followers, some of her youngest fans have shared with her why they care: “They don’t want to age the way they saw their relatives aging,” Cima said. “They feel like they can learn something.”
F NEW YORK (AP)
Looking at societies nowadays, you will see that almost everything we do on a daily basis, be it for personal, educational, or even career purposes, is heavily intertwined with technology. This innovative approach to dealing with almost all life aspects can be simply achieved from the tranquility of any intelligent device at our disposal. The extensive reliance on these devices has put us in awe of the endless possibilities technology can deliver to humanity. Technological innovations are no longer confined to entertainment limitations, such as social media, communication, or even transportation. The extensive incorporation of technology is re-shaping how societies and communities function, shifting the dynamic to make technology a way of living instead of a means of entertainment. A tech career is now considered one of the best career paths as the world, as a whole, takes a technological shift with the global embrace of digital transformation. So, is technology a good career path?
Is Tech Worth Getting Into?
The tech industry has been on exponential growth, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is expected to maintain its rise in the years to come. Almost every company is embracing the digital transformation wave, increasing economies’ reliance on the tech industry. And with this widespread reliance comes a more considerable responsibility for the tech industry to meet expectations. This means providing the proper support for the driving force behind technology adoption and advancement by increasing the demand for specific tech-related jobs and supporting individuals seeking such career endeavors.
Since its emergence, technology has maintained a fast development, and with the hasty adoption of digital means, it will maintain its growth. Nowadays, various technologies are considered the pillars that will help shape countries’ economic growth. From cloud computing, AI and machine learning to blockchain and much more, technology has become a key pillar in almost all sectors, such as finance, engineering, manufacturing, health, and others.
From there, it is only rational to conclude that technology will drive the need for a more expanded tech career path. In 2018, it was recorded that the need for an AI-based workforce doubled since 2015, with the openings increasing by an estimate of 119 percent.
The need to further encourage innovations and critical thinkers will drive economic sectors’ growth and, in return, answer to the 21st Century’s accumulating financial problems. And for that to come to fruition, pursuing a career path in some of the leading global technologies such as data science, AI, and even software development will be vital in reconceptualizing the tech industry.
Why is Tech a Good Career Path?
There are many reasons to consider when asking the question, is technology a good career path? First and foremost, when pursuing the option of a tech-focused career path, one must understand why entering the tech industry could hold a wide range of benefits to the pursuer.
Even though the pandemic played a fundamental role in extending the need for the tech industry, this need will indefinitely linger on. Even though the volume of tech positions plummeted during the pandemic, some of the world’s most influential and prominent economies shifted their hiring strategies toward tech graduates. This hiring drive is expected to linger till 2030 to accommodate the global shift towards adopting more innovative approaches such as cloud storage, as well in support of implementing sustainable strategies worldwide.
The shift following the pandemic, accredited to the heightened fixation on accelerating digital transformation, will further increase the demand for specific technology jobs, intensifying the demand for such positions. This means in the future, almost any traditional profession will be replaced with the digital or tech-associated one to meet the digital needs of the market.
This will lead to a wide variety of career opportunities in numerous industries, such as a programmer in health, education, transportation, communication, financial services, and even retail.
What are the Benefits of Having a Career in Technology?
As the tech industry is rapidly evolving and manifesting into a colossus of opportunities, its deliverance of progressive career prospects holds notable personal significance for individuals seeking to enter the field. Companies are transforming their frameworks to keep up with the technological aspect of the future of work. And to those planning to join the tech market soon, the industry holds diversified opportunities as long as they are willing to accommodate the industry’s instantaneous change to obtain its big rewards while competing with new and rising talents.
Choosing the right career path in the tech industry is pivotal as it will adequately direct the person to their future with a high-paying salary. There is money to be made when working in the tech industry, given that the industry itself generates a hefty capital to invest in its innovations and projects.
For most tech jobs, experience is associated with money. The more a person attains knowledge and expertise in their tech career, the higher the salary will be. Some of these careers focus on machine learning, AI, and developing data models.
Another beneficial factor lies in understanding the importance of the job you are seeking within the industry. It is no surprise that technology is one of the pillars shaping the modernization of the world’s revolutionizing advancement. For instance, careers focusing on AI are in high demand, as the sector is expansively growing year-over-year, primarily since machine learning provides deep profundity for other sectors to leverage its endless possibilities, such as energy, management, retail, marketing, software development, and more.
Closing Thoughts
A career in technology is worth the effort and time invested in it. But, unless the pursuer of such a path is genuinely interested and intrigued by its possibilities and ready to face its challenges, this may not be the right path to pursue. A career in technology is based on a passion for technology and innovations. It can be endorsed with the willingness to learn new technologies and develop the right mentality to find the right solutions for complicated problems that have not existed. While there are many pros and cons to working in the tech industry, saying “is technology a good career path?” might come off as relatively vague and generalized. The main question should be, what career path within the tech industry do I want to seek, and is that direction suitable for my career needs.
Inside Telecom provides you with an extensive list of content covering all aspects of the Tech industry. Keep an eye on our Community section to stay informed and updated with our daily articles.
Over the past few years, India immensely benefited from Western technologies in various aspects. For a country with a relatively fractured economy, technology swooped in to simplify and accelerate mass production for an extensively increased population, allowing them to improve their production of raw materials, typically traded in global economies. Adopting western technology in India is becoming a significant factor driving the country’s economy and achieving its economic growth goals. In this piece, So, how did India benefit from western technology?
Science and Technology in India
The history of science and technology in India emerged when the country was under the influence of the British regime that lasted almost 150 years. Science and technology in India flourished the country as it accounts for some of the most prominent scientists and mathematicians, which in return, with time, delivered the famous Indian numeral system creating today’s mathematics, and modern accounting, and made computer technology a plausible future.
Yet, India flourishing in terms of its scientific and technological development was heavily influenced by British colonialism, as the colonial experience was solemnly based on imposing a certain level of control on Indian territory and resources. British colonialism did not leave room for Indian knowledge and expertise to flourish, limiting accessibility to proper education and scientific opportunities that would’ve contributed to the country’s independent economic growth.
India’s experiment with socialism and colonialism that lasted almost four decades brought on local innovation based on domestic innovations. This halted India’s economic growth until the 1900s. During that time, companies were nothing but modest small enterprises taking over small projects with primary technologies that lacked a supportive capital efficiency.
Throughout that period emerged the era of pre-liberalized India, where foreign technologies were not accessible, mainly driven by the lack of the needed resources to support economic growth. This led to what is today known as India’s path of ”techno-nationalism” where the country finally reached a level of self-reliance in terms of developing its own technologies for both public and governmental sectors, such as nuclear, defense, energy, and much more.
What Technological Advancements did the British Bring to India?
British colonialism heavily affected India’s technological adoption in terms of textile technologies. The country’s vague influence by the imposed colonialism can be attributed to India’s organizational and institutional environments where most of the development was mainly associated with the mercantile families with almost no knowledge or expertise-based in managing modern tech. The lack of interest in technological development derived from the fact that such families focused on financial dealings; therefore, the British were in charge of the country’s technological development.
At the time, critical technologies such as the railways, electric telegraph, and steamer were some of India’s most significant alterations, creating the pillars for the country’s growth in the 21st Century. These big technologies attracted the attention of some of the most renowned scholars, which positively affected the fundamental fabric of societies, revolutionizing today’s day-to-day lives.
Such technologies enticed further awareness from important figures that could contribute to the country’s economic growth than those relatively smaller technologies. While weaving looms, spinning wheels, rice hullers, bicycles, steel pens, and even typewriters did endorse India’s modernization, it did so slowly, unlike the overspread of significant technologies.
India’s Western Culture
As a secular country, where people have the utmost freedom to practice whatever ancient religion they choose, the country’s extended its embrace of the westernized culture established by British colonialism. As one of the richest cultures in the world, the country’s history dating back to several thousands of years, was abruptly changed throughout time due to the conquest of European power intertwined with the British rule of Indian territories.
The westernization of the Indian societal culture created westernized subcultural patterns in a minority of Indian territories which later on branched out to emerge as a newly synthesized western Indian culture.
The westernization of India brought forth the establishment of new economic, political, and cultural branches in the country’s societal ecosystem. And with the country’s open mindset and attitude toward scientific discoveries and emerging technologies, scientific and technological means were no longer a symbol of British colonialism but rather a means to consolidate their ruling.
How did India Benefit from Western Technology?
The establishment of British technologies in Indian territories introduced a new world to an ancient culture through an imperialistic establishment in the country. The introduction of big western technologies during that period birthed a remarkable development in the country’s infrastructure, creating diversified job opportunities branching into various sectors.
India’s adoption of western technologies played a fundamental role in hastening the country’s independence from the imposed ruling. Numerous technologies associated with industries, factories, mines, and ammunition centers rose, supporting the country’s future freedom while creating a suitable base for a robust relationship with the western world, notably Europe and the U.S.
Such relationships account for India’s current arms and ammunition power, in addition to its technological and internet growth, resulting in some of the most prominent companies in the world setting operations in the country, such as Big Tech giants Google and Amazon.
Summary
The answer as to how did India benefit from western technologies lies in the the introduction of a capital-intensive and labor-saving technology in a country that holds significant symbolism concerning the direction of its economic growth. India’s beneficiating of the western technologies brought forth endless opportunities for a once colonized country and faced persistent challenges when seeking its independence. Technology plays a remarkable role in directing India on that path. Now, India is considered the new Silicon Valley as it has established a robust technology-based economy.
Inside Telecom provides you with an extensive list of content covering all aspects of the tech industry. Keep an eye on our Technology section to stay informed and up-to-date with our daily articles.
Urbanization has been taking over worldwide for the past few decades, with people moving to cities planning to be sustainable cities of the future.
The UN-Habitat estimates that since 2009, over three million people have moved into cities every week. Urban areas have been attractive destinations for migrants hoping to find a higher standard of living and better jobs.
The UN has dedicated a sustainable development goal (SDG) to slow down human-induced climate change. While migrants contribute significantly to the economies of cities, increasing populations introduce problems of distribution of resources, congestion, and increased pressure on waste management healthcare, infrastructure, and education.
It is estimated that by 2050, 70 percent of the world’s population will live in cities, making the concept of sustainable cities an efficient resolution to the growing population.
Sustainable Cities with a Cleaner Future
Sustainable cities with a cleaner future have a role in the urbanization movement to enhance residents’ lives by focusing on futuristic and environmental initiatives. The aim is to have eco-friendly cities focusing on restricting CO2 gas emissions in the air, employing renewable energy sources, or conveying awareness of ecological issues.
Considering that outdoor pollution kills around three million lives yearly, mostly in cities, it is evident that urbanization can increase the environmental effect on towns. Many cities worldwide have redesigned their city planning strategies and started with initiatives to target these issues directly.
Arcadis, a leading global design and consultancy firm for natural and built assets, created a list of 100 sustainable cities worldwide that have contributed to projects and initiatives to resolve urbanization’s effects on the environment.
According to Arcadis’s Index, examples of innovative, sustainable cities of the future and one of the sustainable cities in the world are:
Zurich
Taking first place with a total score of 87.9 percent. Zurich started many projects that ranked its first place, such as their long-term goal to become a 2000-watt society by 2050.
Another project was the Green City Zurich project, which seeks to maintain and improve all green spaces. These challenging goals are achievable when the government gives investment funds, focuses on renewable sources and energy efficiency, and increases the public’s awareness of sustainability.
Sydney
Also, one of the most sustainable cities that had considerable impact on battling climate change for their residents is Sydney. Coming out in the top 10, Sydney started the Sustainable Sydney 2030 initiative to reduce the city’s carbon emissions by 70 percent.
This plan will help the residents because breathing air quality will improve and restore dying ecosystems. In addition, Sydney pictures a Smart City for the future to enhance public transportation, bring its citizens together and make the city more sustainable.
Copenhagen and Rome
On another note, the most eco-friendly city in the world is Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen which has been voted the most eco-friendly city many times because of its dedication to creating green ways of living and sustainability. Biking is the most fashionable means of transportation in this town, and it strives to have half of its people cycling to work or school this year.
Politicians, city planners, and other organizations developed initiatives and sustainability projects for cities; however, many ideas have been embedded in the public. For example, ranking seven in Arcadis, Rome began the Participate 3- Year Project that allows citizens to contribute to potential solutions for urban problems. Sustainable and innovative solutions like this will enable the public to engage in the transformation of their cities and develop practical answers.
Sustainable cities and communities are a great way to combat urbanization issues; Smart Cities improve the quality of life through better communication technologies and efficiency of urban operations while enveloping sustainable cities’ core values.
Smart Cities and Related IoT Projects
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) which is vigorously contributing to transforming Dubai into the most innovative city globally. DEWA developed a broad strategy to implement smart electricity and water infrastructure to support this objective; it is called a “Smart Grid.”
It will deliver state-of-the-art components and includes automated decision-making and interoperability across the entire water and electricity network. DEWA’s Smart Grid Programme, with investments totaling $1.9 billion, supports the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai, to make Dubai the most innovative and happiest city in the world.
The program is a critical element of DEWA’s strategy to develop an advanced infrastructure. It sustains the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 and the Dubai Net Zero Emissions Strategy 2050 to deliver 100 percent of the energy production capacity from clean energy sources by 2050.
Summary
The concept of sustainable cities is pivotal to having more people live in those cities that will be less polluted than before. This process will guarantee the “sustainable” move of the people to cities without reconsidering moving out the fact that they will feel comfortable staying there. For example, renewable energy industries continue to reach unprecedented growth worldwide. For that reason, not only cities are becoming ecofriendly but different communities and industries around the world, taking the world to another aspect.
Inside Telecom provides you with an extensive list of content covering all aspects of the Tech industry. Keep an eye on our Technology news section to stay informed and updated with our daily articles.
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Ian Terblanche, Global Strategic Sales & Channel Director at Sigfox
