Page 3 - Seniors Today - January Issue

Publisher’s Note
The Top 50 Who Have A Say
The year 2020 could be amongst the worst in
recent memory. The pandemic notwithstanding,
a series of crises have also rattled us one after
the other. Politics has overtaken money as the
number one conversation piece. It has also
divided friends, family and colleagues. There
has been immense polarisation and we are now
a society divided on religious and caste lines
fighting for quotas, reservations, and other
benefits. Whereas earlier, money/finance was
the number one topic of discussion followed by
sex, relationships, religion and health.
For seniors, money is a critical part of our lives;
it gives us freedom, security, and opportunity.
The pandemic has forced us to plan for our end-
of-life situation and the need to draw up a will,
inheritance and estate planning. Individuals
are now taking appropriate advice to ensure
that their beneficiaries do not miss out on their
legacy and don’t have to spend time fighting
lengthy court battles. We all need to have a
comfortable life and want the same for our
families – yet, politics has overtaken money as
the number one subject of discussion.
In today’s media-driven society we have a set
of opinion-makers who are called influencers,
something that didn’t exist a decade ago. Today
we have a gossip columnist who is read by lakhs
of her followers, and people pay her money to
get written about in her daily news. Then there
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #19 | JANUARY 2021
are other influencers who get paid to write
favourable reviews of restaurants, foods, movies,
brands. Advertisers pay them in the hope that
people who see their columns and posts will buy
their stuff.
This is of course apart from the “official”
celebrities – actors, musicians etc who have
large followings on their Instagram, Twitter and
YouTube channels. Even if one dismisses them
as obvious brand spokespeople, the fact remains
that they have a strong influence on what we
think about, consume and of course discuss. So
in that respect, influential people can – subtly or
otherwise – steer the direction of a conversation,
introduce a new idea, persuade people to take up
a new habit.
Not just products and brands; influencers
can, if they put their mind to it, change the way
people live and think. For better or for worse.
Seniors Today has drawn up its first list of 50
Top Influencers of India. These are people whose
opinion is read, debated, and perhaps acted
upon – though we don’t know about that. When
Amitabh tells you to breathe in the air of Gujarat
do you really go there?
Vickram Sethi
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief
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