Move over, Kardashians. A new wave of social media stars, drawn from the heart of everyday British life, is capturing the public's imagination and offering a refreshing antidote to the polished, and often artificial, content flooding our feeds.
The Authenticity Antidote to AI 'Slop'
While celebrity glamour has long dominated platforms like Instagram, a significant shift is underway. Audiences are increasingly seeking out genuine, passionate voices. According to Rowland Smith, creative director at the UK-based advertising agency Billion Dollar Boy, this trend is a direct response to the deluge of AI-generated material, often dismissively termed "slop".
"We are getting a lot of AI content on social media and I think this is an antidote to that," Smith explains. He notes that content from these everyday creators often carries an educational element, giving audiences more value than mere passive scrolling.
Meet the Unlikely UK Stars
This year has seen several British creators achieve remarkable fame by simply sharing their unique passions.
Gerald Stratford, a pensioner from the Cotswolds, has amassed 370,000 Instagram followers by lovingly documenting his garden, with a particular fondness for red cabbage. His grassroots success even led to a photoshoot for the luxury brand Gucci.
On TikTok, the platform's algorithm, which prioritises relevance over fame, has helped niche experts flourish. Jack Baddams, an ornithologist, shares his knowledge of birds, while Bemi Orojuogun, affectionately known as "Bus Aunty", has won fans with her content.
A profound example is the award-winning account @raisingkevin_, run by mother Tola Andu and her son Kevin, a young autistic man. Their videos, tagged "autism joy", detail Kevin's daily experiences and have garnered millions of views and over 700,000 followers. The account won the Voice for Change award at this year's TikTok awards for UK and Ireland.
"I'm incredibly proud," Tola said, highlighting how the online community has "truly changed his life," even helping Kevin secure a permanent job.
A Global Trend Towards the Genuine
This movement is not confined to the UK. In the US, septuagenarian twin veterans Wayne and Dwayne Haneline have found viral fame, while Asena Johnson shares post-army life and Pacific Islander culture. In Europe, 84-year-old Italian Nonna Silvi has become a hit from her son's bakery, and Dr. Solange Fugger educates 600,000 followers as Rome's youngest emergency department head.
Madolyn Grove, Head of Creators at TikTok for the UK and Ireland, summarised the trend, stating that the creativity of "everyday people" has captured the hearts of users this year. As Smith concludes, "When people have a niche and are passionate about it, it tends to blow up." In an age of synthetic content, authenticity is the ultimate currency.
