Western media said that during the fight against the new crown epidemic, many 80- and 90-year-old European and American elderly people in Europe and the United States have conveyed the optimistic anti-epidemic spirit through social networking site accounts and become a new generation of "Internet celebrities".
According to the Spanish "El País" website reported on April 25, Spanish actor Miguel Angel Munoz opened an account for his 95-year-old great-grandmother Luisa on Instagram, uploading a short video with the elderly as the protagonist during the epidemic, conveying the optimistic spirit of fighting the epidemic, gaining millions of hits in just one month, and has more than 56,000 fans, And Louisa has also become the oldest "Internet celebrity".
In the video, Louisa and her great-grandchildren are in constant dialogue, sharing their life experiences, views on modern social issues, and even dancing some ballet movements in front of the camera and putting on some modern fashion. Almost every day, the grandchildren receive thousands of messages of support and love for them on social platforms. Munoz said all that his great-grandmother did was to convey "pure love" from the heart.
Concha Garcia Sera, 89, is another veteran Instagram star. Since 2017, she has posted her work using a painting program on the Internet and now has more than 300,000 followers. In releasing her latest work, she wrote: "I hope and wish everyone well. And called on people to join the "stay at home" movement that has been set off in recent weeks.
In New York, USA, another elderly man in his 80s also became an "Internet celebrity" during the epidemic. Because of the quarantine measures, Norma Gregorio had to celebrate her 88th birthday alone at home, filming her phone singing her birthday song in front of a cake delivered by a courier and asking her granddaughter to upload the video to social networking sites, impressing millions of netizens, including some celebrities. Her story has spread throughout the major news channels and websites, and she herself admits that no one should feel sad because they are alone on such a special day.
Nona Rosetta has been recognized as Italy's most famous grandmother". The 87-year-old, who has become the most watched "ambassador" on YouTube with the help of her grandson, constantly reminds people on social platforms to take various hygiene and protective measures, urges everyone to wash their hands frequently, clean their rooms thoroughly and find their own entertainment activities, and more importantly, to call on people not to engage in racial discrimination or blame Asians for the epidemic. Her video has been viewed more than 2 million times.
In the context of older adults being the people most affected by this health crisis, the optimism conveyed by these elderly people is more valuable and important than ever. Munoz pointed out that it is our responsibility to make older people participants in the times in which we live. (Compilation/Han Chao)