Social-savvy baby boomers show TikTok, Instagram are also for the young at heart
Published on
22 Oct 2022
Published by
The Straits Times
SINGAPORE – They are labelled “boomers”, a derogatory term used to mock someone close-minded and resistant to change.
Yet, some of these older folk have adeptly hopped onto the social media train, learning the ins and outs of editing videos and uploading them to platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
According to the Pew Research Center, baby boomers are born between 1946 and 1964, referring to those aged 58 to 76 today.
One such social media breakout star is “Uncle Raymond”, a TikTok sensation who shot to fame earlier this year after he started posting content under the handle @raymondl88, and has garnered more than 87,000 followers.
Whenever the 60-year-old leaves his home, strangers approach him hoping to chat, take a wefie or have a jiggle, and he happily obliges. They hop on the spot, punch their fists into the air and snap their fingers. Within seconds, another video is up on his TikTok page.
He made a name for himself dancing energetically at MRT stations and other public locations such as Orchard Road and the Merlion Park, in his signature striped shirt and trousers.
Very soon, others joined in the fun. He has danced with students from Nanyang Technological University and Republic Polytechnic, and at events such as the Zak Salaam India Expo 2022.
One morning in June 2022, he famously danced with Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and his healthcare colleagues at the Singapore General Hospital, set to the Chinese song Hundred Years Of Solitude.
The video, urging people to do morning exercises, was posted on Mr Ong’s TikTok account and has since chalked up more than 890,000 views.
At times, Uncle Raymond, who helps out with his family’s business based in Guangzhou, goes to three locations in a day to dance.
The Chinese national, whose real name is Raymond Lin, is now a Singapore permanent resident. He lives here with his wife and two sons, aged 25 and 26. He declines to reveal more about them, saying he hopes to keep them out of the public eye.
He says he got onto TikTok – an international version of Douyin, which was released in China in 2016 – quite organically. On Douyin, he first recorded skits and lip-sync videos. And when he migrated to TikTok in 2022, he decided dancing was the way to go.
And he was right. In weeks, he catapulted to online stardom.
“I’m not a professional dancer, but I find so many simple dances on social media that anyone can do. Dancing is also a joyful activity, and can bring people together,” he says.
His dance moves are his own invention, often inspired by similar taiji and kickboxing moves. Recently, he also incorporated some moves from Bollywood dances.
So what is the appeal of Uncle Raymond? Singaporean fans Hiroko Quek, 55, and her son Shayne, 12, spotted and took wefies with him on Tuesday outside Nex mall.
The medical doctor says: “I think Uncle Raymond is very humble, relatable and sincere. His moves are easy to do and meeting him really brightens up our day.”
Her son adds: “Everyone in my school knows who he is, and he is very friendly.”
When asked, the man himself replies: “Perhaps it is the idea of a bald, older man being willing to jump and wave his arms about that is very different from other content on the platform. Who says an Internet celebrity has to be young and beautiful? Maybe they follow me because I am real and genuine. I am just a regular person.”
Dancing is perfectly appropriate and becoming of someone of his age and station in life, he says.
He used to be general manager of a Singapore company, and has always been interested in technology and devices such as computers and smartphones.
He can edit a video – including adjusting its brightness, adding filters and words – within 10 seconds.
“I think people who think I, or they, are too old to dance are wrong,” says the fitness enthusiast. “At my age, I can still move and am as sharp as ever. Of course, I would not advise someone in his 80s to be moving about vigorously. But if they know they are physically able to dance, why don’t they?”
But he has also run into his fair share of difficulties, such as being stopped by security guards when he tried dancing outside Waterway Point in Punggol and ITE College West in Choa Chu Kang.
“I think the security guards are just doing their job. I will just dance elsewhere,” he says with a shrug.
For him, it is important to keep pace with social trends, such as social media, and not be left behind.
“When I was a boy, my family stayed connected with our neighbours and relatives by visiting one another and having tea. But those days are over.
“Nowadays, everyone finds out about what others are doing on social media. So I do think everyone should get with the times, no matter how old they are.”
Being on TikTok has also helped him connect with the young. When he started out, his audience consisted mostly of primary and secondary school students. But now, he says, they include university students and middle-aged viewers.
“Sometimes, I get requests from aunties wanting to dance with me because they want to show their children that they have met me in person.”
Not all boomers, however, want to be video stars. Some prefer to remain behind the camera, but are adept at sharing content online.
Retiree Grace Yeo, who turns 58 next month, runs an Instagram account for her adopted cat Cookie (@cookiepookiewookie) and regularly uploads posts of the feline eating, purring or lazing around.
The Singaporean started the account in 2019 after her daughter commented that Ms Yeo had many photos of Cookie, who is believed to be a Siamese and Burmese mix-breed, on her mobile phone.
She says: “With social media, I feel less alone, as my daughter does not live with me any more. I can entertain myself by watching television, but the television does not write comments or send messages to me.”
So she turned to Instagram, and now gets to meet cat lovers from around the world. She learnt how to shoot videos and add sound effects and filters through trial and error. “Whenever I had a problem, I would use Google to find the answer. After you get used to how social media works, using it is really easy.”
While the camera-shy woman does not appear in the posts herself, she enjoys connecting with others virtually through her posts and following other cat accounts.
She says: “This way, I get to see many different cat breeds, and can learn from others about how to take care of my cat better. The other cat accounts also sometimes comment ‘meow’ on my photos – and I find this very funny.”
Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.
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