96-Year-Old TikTok Star Leads a New Generation of Viral Grandmothers – Pakistan News

For many people, social media fame is associated with young influencers, but a growing group of older women is challenging that image by building large online audiences and turning their life experiences into successful digital careers. Among them is 96-year-old Lillian Droniak, better known to millions of followers as Grandma Droniak. The Connecticut-based creator has built a following of around 15 million people, becoming one of the most recognizable older personalities on social media. Droniak attracted widespread attention in June after saying that her retirement home had threatened to remove her because of the parties she was organizing. The retirement community later confirmed that there had been concerns but reached an agreement with her that allowed the parties to continue, provided that alcoholic drinks were not served. Her enormous online following has also become a source of income. Droniak has turned her personality and everyday life into a profitable social media business, earning enough from her online activities to help cover the roughly $12,000 monthly cost of her nursing-home care. Droniak says she always believed she had the potential to become famous, although she never imagined that it would happen after she turned 90. Her social media journey began around 2020, when her grandson started helping her create and upload videos. What began largely as a way to pass the time eventually developed into a major online presence. She believes her appeal comes partly from showing younger audiences that growing older does not mean giving up on enjoying life. Her videos cover a wide range of subjects, including fashion, food, dating and everyday experiences. Droniak is far from the only older woman finding success online. Vivi Trouran, an 82-year-old woman from Cardiff, began posting on Instagram after the death of her husband. A neighbour encouraged her to showcase her colourful clothing through videos. She has since transformed her bedroom into a small recording studio and regularly produces videos featuring her outfits, glasses and scarves. Trouran keeps a handwritten record of her views and followers and has already filled several notebooks tracking the performance of her content. She says younger women frequently approach her in public, telling her they are afraid of getting older. Her response is simple: ageing does not have to be something to fear. As their audiences grow, brands are increasingly taking notice of older content creators. Trouran has worked with companies and charities but says she carefully considers every partnership before accepting it. She typically takes on only a limited number of sponsored posts each month and prefers organisations whose values align with her own. She says she has rejected lucrative opportunities when she did not genuinely like or trust the brand involved. Another successful example is 83-year-old Grace Geremeta, widely known online as Nonna Gracie. Geremeta moved from Italy to the United States when she was 18. She worked multiple jobs while raising her two daughters and now earns more through her online presence than she did from any of her previous occupations. About six years ago, her grandson Matthew encouraged her to record cooking videos. Initially, she had little interest in social media and was uncomfortable speaking English on camera. But her traditional recipes quickly attracted an international audience. For Geremeta, however, the videos are about more than food. She wants to preserve the tradition of bringing families together around a shared meal. She says messages from people around the world often move her to tears. According to Naomi Barker of influencer marketing agency We Are Social, older creators can be particularly attractive to brands because they often develop highly loyal communities with strong purchasing power. Their popularity may also reflect a desire for comfort in an increasingly uncertain world. Barker says the positive and authentic nature of much of this content allows older influencers to serve as a kind of 'virtual grandmother' for their followers. That connection is particularly evident in the case of 77-year-old Barbara Costello, a former teacher who now creates videos about cooking, cleaning and household life through her Brunch with Babs accounts. Many followers say her content reminds them of their own mothers or grandmothers. Costello has also received deeply personal messages from followers. On one occasion, a university student told her that her cookbook had helped her through her first year at university. For Costello, some of the most meaningful moments come when former students attend her book-signing events with their own children. The growing popularity of these creators demonstrates that social media success is not limited by age. For women such as Droniak, Trouran, Geremeta and Costello, online platforms have provided more than fame or financial opportunities. They have created new communities, allowed them to share decades of experience and, in some cases, given them a renewed sense of purpose. Their stories are also changing how audiences think about ageing—showing that creativity, influence and a connection with younger generations can continue well into later life.