Thai seniors are given support from the government to become social media influencers

In order to help Thailand’s older population use the internet more effectively and produce their own content so they may use social media to monetize their interests, Thai Media Fund, a government institution, has created a digital training program. Participants in the training course will also learn how to be safe online. Dhanakorn claims that elderly people are more likely to fall for online frauds and incorrect information than younger people. In Thailand, there are already a number of well-known senior influencers who got their start with the assistance of tech-savvy family members. Grandma Hong Thong, also known as Khun Yai Hong Thong, is a stylish elderly woman who enjoys drinking whiskey. Around 78 percent of Thailand’s 70 million residents are online, and the country has the eighth-highest number of Facebook users worldwide. By 2040, the World Bank projects that 17 million Thais, or more than 25% of the nation’s population, would be over 65. The Chief Executive of Thai Media Fund claims that while older people enjoy using social media just as much as younger generations do to stay connected, they need more instruction because they are less tech-savvy. Doctor Dhanakorn Srisooksai asserted As the digital age has progressed, more and more senior citizens are using media, albeit with limited ability.
Somsak, a 62-year-old teacher, has a strong enthusiasm for preserving the environment. He now records a clip in his yard every morning, edits it for 30 minutes, and posts it to social media where it periodically achieves over 8000 views as a result of his involvement in the Thai Media Fund initiative. Senior Thais with special skills who can pass them on to the younger generation are the target audience for the training program. When it comes to growing food, for example, senior farmers may have valuable expertise, but young people are typically unable to access it if it is not made available online. The project works with 50 children at once and teaches technical skills including video recording, editing, and publishing as well as how to create an online presence. Somsak advises seniors to “give it a go” because they have knowledge that is valuable to society. Grandma Hong Thong’s granddaughter records humorous films of the things her grandmother does every day and posts them online. Grandma Hong Thong is now a genuine person thanks to the more than 120,000 likes on her Facebook site.
Grandma Hong Thong and other old people will be helped by the Thai Media Fund program to use the internet to their full potential without the help of children or teenagers. Up to now, elderly program participants have gone on to launch their own social media channels where they discuss fitness, conservation, teaching English, and caring for autistic children. Although there has never been a greater number of elderly persons using social media in Thailand, relatively few of them identify as “content providers.”