YouTube Archives

The folks trading retirement for influencer status

Who do you imagine when I say “social media influencer?” I’ll bet a young, hot model or a chiseled guy into cars. It’s time to expand your horizons.

I love that Joy Ryan didn’t even get her passport until she was 91. At 94, she’s on a mission to visit every continent with her grandson. So far, she’s at four out of seven. Joy is also the oldest person to visit all 63 U.S. national parks.

She’s posting “Grandma Joy’s Road Trip” on Instagram. She’s part of the trend of “grandfluencers” (“grandparent” and “influencer”) racking up millions of followers and fans of all ages. Maybe this is your sign to get this idea going with your grandparents, parents or even yourself.

Defying stereotypes

You probably think grandfluencers’ fans are older adults, too, right? Nope, most are young adults.

Take 94-year-old Lillian Droniak, aka “Grandma Droniak.” She went viral by laying down the three rules she wants people to follow at her funeral: Cry, but not too much (don’t embarrass yourself); Bertha isn’t invited (Who’s she?); and get drunk afterward.

Her 14.6 million TikTok followers love her sass, and I do, too. After she was hospitalized for breaking her leg, she shrugged it off, saying she “slayed too hard.” Love her.

Then, there’s 78-year-old Joan MacDonald. She was overweight and struggling with health issues. With the help of her daughter, a fitness coach, she now deadlifts 175 pounds for her 2 million Instagram followers and sports a bodybuilder’s physique, along with crop tops. She’s proof it’s never too late for a glow-up.

Offering up wisdom

Navy vet Kenny Jary, or “patriotickenny,” tells stories and tries out new tech with his 2.7 million followers. The 82-year-old has a chronic lung condition and gets around with a mobility scooter.

When Kenny’s last scooter broke down, his followers raised money for a new one. He’s since paid it forward and helped 119 other vets with their mobility needs. How awesome is that?

Be yourself

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Security tip: Next time you stay at a hotel, turn on your VPN

Did you know the average American spends more than 24 hours each week online? That is a considerable chunk of time.

If you’re one of many with multiple devices regularly accessing the internet, you probably know you need a secure connection to protect sensitive data. A virtual private network or VPN is the best way to do this.

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Gifts that give them something to do

🏡 And they won’t even have to leave the house.

Stop spending hours in the candle aisle trying to guess what scent they like. They can make their own with this kit!
A cozy cup holder is great for movie lovers … or anyone who doesn’t want to tear apart an entire sectional looking for a lost remote.
You’ll have the hottest gift of the day with a hot sauce-making kit. Maybe pair it with a gallon of 2%.
A dream decoder ($16) might help them figure out why they keep dreaming about pugs wearing tuxedos.
For the person who loves YouTube and podcasts more than crafting, these headphones sound as good* as models three times the price.
A sushi-making kit (23% off, $8), because paying $16 for a California roll at a restaurant is lunacy.
Channel Columbo with a fun murder mystery game (33% off).
This cookbook (29% off) has 100 recipes straight from Disney’s parks. And yes, it has the Magic Kingdom Dole Whip. Mmm.
This book (34% off) is like paint-by-numbers but with stickers. Even I can do that!

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

😴 YouSleep: New to the YouTube app is a handy-dandy sleep timer. Tap the cog icon (top right corner) on any video. Press Sleep timer in the dropdown menu. Set it for 10 minutes or End of video. This is perfect for white noise without draining your phone’s battery all night.

Crack YouTube’s algorithm

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Over 500 hours of video hit YouTube every minute. To stand out, you need more than great content. From bold thumbnails to attention-grabbing titles, here’s how to get noticed and keep viewers hooked.

⚰️ “Obituary pirating”: If you look up someone in your life who recently passed, you just might see random YouTube videos of someone reading their obituary. Video creators are doing it to make a few ad bucks. Aren’t you glad to be ahead of the rest? I told you about this a year ago, and now the mainstream media’s picking it up.

1 billion hours

Of YouTube watched every single day. That beats out all other streaming services. It’s the only streaming platform to top 10% of the viewing market share in 2024. In second place? Netflix, with 7.7%.

8 ways your phone is tracking you - That you can stop now

You understand that your phone knows where you’re located. This is how GPS works, how Find My sees your location and why you get local ads on Facebook and Google. Like other data on your phone, that location data is a hot commodity for internet marketers.

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Haven't logged into LinkedIn lately? 5 reasons you really should be using it

How much do you know about LinkedIn? Sure, you probably understand it’s a social network for professionals, but it’s so much more.

Unlike most social networks that are used to share the latest vacation pictures, LinkedIn was designed for more important reasons. It can help you make connections, share work experience and find or post jobs.

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Use YouTube Premium? Buy through an iPhone or iPad, and it’s $18.99 per month. On the YouTube website, it’s $13.99 monthly. Yeah, cancel through your phone and buy it again.

So your kid started a YouTube channel: Get access so you know who’s leaving comments and messaging them. Open the YouTube app on your phone, tap your profile picture (bottom right) > gear icon (top right) > Family Center. Tap Invite a teen to ask to supervise your kid’s account.

Now we’re talking! If you make YouTube videos, you’ll soon be able to earn more money. They’re rolling out an auto-dubbing tool that translates English videos into eight languages. Right now, only creators who focus on educational content can use it. The rest of us will have it in a few months. I can’t wait to try it!

Nifty YouTube shortcuts: Press M to mute or unmute a video, K to pause or play a video, and F to enter or exit full-screen mode. While you’re there, follow my channel so you never miss a vid.

Big Tech under President Trump

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TikTok banned, social media regulated like phone companies, and Google broken up — Trump’s presidency could reshape Silicon Valley. Plus, 2024’s worst passwords, why the fast track to software development is ending, and how to stream free movies on YouTube.

🎮 Twitch and YouTube are booming: Gamers spend more hours per week watching other people play video games than playing themselves. This year’s League of Legends World Championship esports event peaked at nearly 7 million viewers. Hey, parents — your kids can turn playing video games into a real job after all.

A new YouTube trend: I thought this was interesting. Searching for “IMG_0001” on YouTube lets you watch videos uploaded from early iPhones between 2009 and 2012. The clips show life before social media took over. There’s no editing, no descriptions and no flash … because the iPhone 3G didn’t have one.

Really like a livestreamer? On the YouTube app, you’ll soon be able to buy “jewels” for your favorite creators. Think of jewels as a virtual tip for the person making the videos you love. As far as tips go, the one profession that should get them is teaching: “Thanks, and here’s $25 for teaching my bratty kid algebra.”

Reset your social media algorithms

Still stuck in election season on your social media feed? Or maybe you bought one bottle of perfume and now Big Tech thinks you’re launching a beauty empire. Algorithms are smart, but they don’t know when you’re ready to get back to your regularly scheduled programming, like cat videos and memes. Here’s how to reset your feed and take control of what you see.

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New to the Apple App Store: Google Gemini for iPhone. The AI chatbot has a leg up on ChatGPT in one big way: It links to Google apps like Mail, Maps, Calendar and YouTube. Open the Gemini for iPhone app, tap your profile icon at the top right corner and select Extensions. Toggle on any apps you want to link all in one place.

Making money in podcasting: It’s not easy. Spotify wants to lure creators away from YouTube. Their plan? Pay hosts of popular shows and let premium subscribers watch ad-free (paywall link). YouTube pays creators 55% of ad revenue; Spotify estimates a show pulling in between 1 million and 2 million views a month would earn about $50,000 with them. That’s not a bad return, btw.