Vivian Boyko, 71, demonstrates how she films video for TikTok at her home in Saskatoon.Liam Richards/The Globe and Mail
Vivian Boyko has always kept busy. After retiring from the paper business in 2014, the Saskatoon grandmother filled her days with the familiar rhythms of retired life: caring for six grandchildren, running errands, keeping house. But beneath the surface, she felt a persistent sense of boredom.
“My work was important to me,” said Ms. Boyko, now 71. “It’s kind of an odd thing when you’ve always worked and really identified with your job. I just had to find something else to make me want to get out of bed in the morning.”
She tried piano lessons. She signed up for an online watercolour class. But nothing stuck. Then, she wrote a book about a time-travelling grandmother. To promote it, she posted her first video on TikTok in April 2021.
She didn’t expect much. Who, she wondered, would want to see an older woman on their feed?
By the end of that summer, she had more than 100,000 followers on TikTok. Today, she’s approaching half a million. Her page is filled with comedy skits, recurring characters and the occasional costume change, thanks to her ever-growing collection of wigs and glasses.
Ms. Boyko is part of a group of older adults who are reimagining what retirement can look like. Sometimes dubbed “granfluencers,” or “oldfluencers,” these retirees are building online followings from their kitchens and living rooms, sharing their lives, and their wisdom, on TikTok and Instagram. In an internet culture that often renders older people invisible, these content creators are choosing visibility and joy.
“I deal with retired clients weekly in my life, and I think it’s one of the hardest life transitions,” said Shannon Lee Simmons, a certified financial planner and founder of the New School of Finance. “You want to feel like you still have purpose. And a lot of the wisdom you’ve accumulated has nowhere to go.”
Ms. Boyko’s followers hail from around the world, including Ireland, the Philippines and South Africa. Some are close to her age, but many are decades younger. One of her most popular videos, a tutorial on how to bake an apple pie from scratch, sparked a flood of comments from viewers who had never been taught how to make one before.
“They’ll comment and say, ‘Can I call you Grandma?’” she said. “I’ve connected with them, and they’ve connected with me, and really, the connections are fulfilling to me.”
Vivian Boyko sports a wig as she prepares to film one of her comedy skits, where she portrays a cast of recurring characters with her collection of wigs and glasses.Liam Richards/The Globe and Mail
That surrogate-grandparent energy is what draws many followers, said Ms. Simmons.
“We used to put our elders up and everyone would listen to the village elders, and I really feel like in North America, we don’t necessarily do that culturally,” Ms. Simmons said. “This is a new way for people who are retired to connect with people who want to hear the wisdom that they have to share.”
It’s also what creators like Linda Cassidy, 61, are learning to embrace. Before retiring in 2023 from the Public Service Alliance of Canada, Ms. Cassidy frequently posted photos of her outfits online. After leaving her job, she leaned into content creation more seriously.
“I’m reinventing myself,” said Ms. Cassidy, who lives in Ottawa. “Don’t get me wrong, I love my retirement, and I love not being committed to a job, but I also see opportunity in the content creation world. I want to make it even more successful for myself than it’s been.”
That spirit of trying something new, not because they have to, but because they want to, is what defines this new wave of retiree creators.
“When it’s someone retired doing this, it’s typically someone who’s doing it for the love of it,” said Scott Armstrong, chief executive of retirement consulting company Mind Switch. “It’s a great way to keep the mind stimulated.”
That said, the work can come with perks. Even modest earnings can make a difference in retirement. “It’s emotionally difficult to go from saving to drawing down your money,” said Ms. Simmons. “Even an extra $5,000 can cover a trip or pad your emergency fund. A little can go a long way.”
Ms. Boyko, for example, typically charges around $800 per brand partnership. One recent deal flew her to Toronto for a commercial shoot with an online casino, earning her $1,000 and a three-night hotel stay with all meals and flights paid for.
But Ms. Simmons cautions that side income, even small amounts, isn’t always without considerations. “You’re self-employed now,” she said. “Depending on how much you make, it could lead to an Old Age Security clawback.”
Still, few retirees are chasing followers for the money alone, it seems.
Elda Sirizzotti, known online as Nonna Elda, cuts vegetables with a knife she has been using since the sixties in Italy. She says making online content makes her feel young again.Ness DeVos/The Globe and Mail
Claiming a sense of purpose is what keeps Elda Sirizzotti, 85, coming back to the kitchen, for example. In 2022, her granddaughter Alessandra suggested filming her as she cooked traditional Italian dishes. Within three weeks, the videos were racking up views by the thousands.
“I feel young again,” said Ms. Sirizzotti, affectionately known online as Nonna Elda. “Thinking about recipes, preparing them, it makes me work more. I feel better.”
These days, the Toronto-based grandmother gets recognized at the grocery store, at the dentist’s office, even on the street.
“A lot of people miss their grandparents,” her granddaughter, Alessandra, said. “They see Nonna and it reminds them of home. They feel like they’re part of an Italian family.”
