Crossing Generations in the Digital Age: Silver-Haired Influencers, Digital Inclusion, and Social Sustainability on Douyin

This article examines how silver-haired influencers on Douyin foster intergenerational communication and digital inclusion in China’s rapidly platformized society. Through analysis of popular short videos and interactive comment spaces, the study shows how everyday practices such as cooking demonstrations, personal storytelling, health knowledge sharing, and rural life performances become shared symbolic resources through which older and younger users negotiate meaning and social belonging. Drawing on social constructivism and symbolic interactionism, the findings reveal how older adults develop agency through platform-mediated interaction and the co-creation of intergenerational scripts in comments, duets, and mimicry. The study further identifies the ambivalent role of algorithmic governance, which amplifies positive and emotionally connective narratives while simultaneously constraining representations of aging. By linking digital participation to intergenerational well-being and social inclusion, this research contributes to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Communities), highlighting the importance of inclusive platform governance for social sustainability.