Hi, folks! Meet Emmett, the retired, motorcycle-riding nomad better known as “Old Biker Dude.”
On any given day that you have access to YouTube, you can follow along on Old Biker Dude’s ultra wholesome off-grid adventures, where he might show you how to bake a trout to perfection, show off his impressive solar-powered wagon or take in the majestic beauty of the surrounding mountains and trees.
For the longest time, almost nobody was following Emmett or his content. Despite posting regularly, his videos largely went unviewed.
Then a stranger completely turned things around.
Cole Caetano, better known as @karvetv on TikTok, regularly scopes out YouTube channels in need of support and shares them on his account to help them get views and followers. He also reposts videos of people doing kind acts. Just nourishing content all around.
Caetano came across Old Biker Dude, and shared this:
@karvetv Old Biker Dude❤️ #oldman #wholesome #grandpa ♬ original sound – Cole Caetano
As usual, the repost worked. People were completely charmed by Emmett, and almost overnight, his following grew exponentially. Today he has 102,000 subscribers.
Emmett ended up writing on his channel:
“ATTENTION: On July 24th, I suddenly began getting thousands of subs as the result of one of the kindest things anyone has ever done for me. A Tik Tok’r named karveTV featured me on his channel. I’m literally in tears as I sit here watching this. Thank you son.”
In TEARS. This is just too sweet.
As others were quick to point out, this endearing story really shows the power of TikTok being used for good.
Unlike other social media platforms, TikTok doesn’t require users to already have a following in order to go viral, which means creative, unique and even absurd content can quickly infiltrate the online zeitgeist. If you put out something that is entertaining, as Emmett clearly did, the odds of getting it to those who would appreciate it are far more likely. That’s why, for all its faults, TikTok can be a magical tool for human connection.
If you’d like to join Old Biker Dude’s ever-growing subscriber base, head over to YouTube.
And if you’d like to give Caetano some much-deserved love as well, follow him on TikTok.