Dan Buettner is credited as the man who developed the idea that there are at least five Blue Zones in the world where people live the longest and healthiest lives.
The first Blue Zone, in Sardina, Italy, was discovered by researchers Gianna Pes and Michel Poulain, Insider previously reported. According to the Blue Zones website, Buettner began exploring areas in the world known for longevity after an expedition to Okinawa, Japan, in 2000. Alongside a team of demographers and researchers, Buettner identified five Blue Zones that all shared nine common lifestyle characteristics.
Buettner has written a number of books about his research, and was recently a host and executive producer on the Netflix docuseries, "Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones," where he traveled to the five zones and spoke about his observations on the lifestyle habits and environments of those areas and the quality of life experienced among their centenarians and older citizens.
The show's success has skyrocketed him to newfound fame, but he's been posting about Blue Zones for over a decade, building up a following of hundreds of thousands of people.
Over the years, Buettner has developed an active social media presence, sharing tips and advice about living longer. He currently has 403,000 followers on Instagram and over 131,000 on TikTok.
Sam Skemp, Buettner's chief of staff who has been managing Buettner's social media accounts since 2013, told Insider that Buettner plays an active role in the running of his online presence, often responding to messages and comments and sometimes posting himself rather than leaving it to his team.
In a written statement to Insider, Buettner spoke about his motivations behind maintaining a social media presence, saying: "A big part of an explorer's job is to share the findings. Otherwise, what's the point. When I started my career, books were the best medium. Now the world has moved to social media."
Here is how Buettner used social media to share his research and build a following over time.