Breaking Digital Stereotypes: An Exploration of Mature Female Influencers on TikTok

Social media platforms have irrevocably disrupted the dynamics of interpersonal interaction, communication, and content consumption. TikTok has become a powerful medium among diverse platforms, captivating users across demographic spectrums. Initially perceived as a youthful platform, TikTok's user profile has witnessed a paradigm shift with a burgeoning presence of mature individuals who are not just consumers but influential content creators (social Media Trends in Hootsuit, 2023). TikTok is utilized by 56% of brands using influencer marketing, and it becomes the most popular influencer marketing channel, jumping ahead of Instagram (51%) for the first time, and well ahead of Facebook (42%) and YouTube (38%) (Marketing Benchmark Report 2023). Daily, TikTok sees an influx of approximately a million new adult users, signifying a robust trend in the platform's adoption among the adult demographic (Patard, 2022). These adults have transitioned from passive consumers to active content creators with extensive follower bases, specifically among mature women (Ng et al., 2022). An upsurge in mature female content creators on TikTok illuminates societal shifts, debunking the stereotype that matures women are consigned to social invisibility and disempowerment (Borland and Akhram, 2007). In the prevailing influencer marketing landscape, 75% of communications budgets target young people, especially millennials, an ultra-connected generation not interested in traditional media (Chevalier, 2020). Today, with the emergence of over 70 influencers, content creators and communications professionals are starting to realize the rise of a market made up of a more mature generation, presenting opportunities for business development, especially in the fashion sector (Farinosi & Fortunati, 2020) As such, influencer marketing professionals underscore brands' escalating interest in engaging with mature influencers, who, by connecting with consumers wielding higher purchasing power (Devaux, 2022), offer distinctive advantages, especially compared to teenagers and young adults. Despite this industry-wide cognizance of mature influencers on TikTok, the academic sphere needs more comprehensive studies on this phenomenon. Antunes et al. (2022) advocate for holistic research on older influencers' communication strategies, practices, and roles in the influencer economy in response to this academic gap. Crevier (2022) also highlights a broader research gap concerning mature female influencers on Instagram. With TikTok's resurgence (Barta et al., 2023), there is anticipation for studies exploring follower responses to marketing influencers on the platform. Miranda et al. (2022) suggest probing into digital influencers' motivations and the factors enhancing their ability to influence their followers. They emphasize the digital space occupied by influencers, their voice in an environment that prizes precise command over digital tools and features and challenges the preconceived notions and age-related prejudices that often undermine the digital competency of older individuals. The current study seeks to augment the existing literature on a burgeoning and intriguing phenomenon: mature female influencers on social media, which is now a concrete reality. Exploring cyberconsumers' perceptions of these mature influencers would provide invaluable insights. Predicated on their digital representation, brands engage with these influencers to foster enduring relationships and maintain credibility with their audiences (Adhepeau, 2022). Through this exploratory investigation, we aim to offer an expansive perspective on the phenomenon of mature female influencers, elucidating their significance to their followers on a specific social media platform, "TikTok."