Whether later life is represented through the lens of an apocalyptic demography or an over-entitled baby-boom generation, such differing representations point to the continuing dissolution of old age as a unitary social category. The division between the ‘third’ and ‘fourth’ ages is becoming an important feature of ageing societies. While the latter reflects an image of old age defined by dependency and vulnerability, the former projects an image of generational capture. This bifurcation has been present over the past 30 years and has recently become evident in responses to, and discourses about, the COVID-19 pandemic. By drawing attention to these disparate representations of ageing in the media, this chapter argues that public discourses of ageing articulate a fundamental incompatibility in the framing of later life, through the representational structures of the third and fourth ages in society.
This collection showcases leading research across the globe on ageing and the media. It examines different aspects and dimensions of ageing, as represented in a range of media, such as newspapers, magazines, advertising, graphic novels and comics, and websites. Older consumers’ voices are also heard about how they respond to media depictions of older adults and about how they embrace communication technologies. The chapters critically discuss current discourses and understandings of ageing and the lifecourse in different cultural contexts and demonstrate how age intersects with gender and sexuality, for example. The research sites range from Europe to North and South America, Africa and East Asia. Some of the central themes that are addressed in eleven chapters are: How do older adults feature and how are they represented in the media in different cultural contexts? What visual, semiotic and discursive strategies are employed in these representations? How do particular cultural and demographic contexts structure and give meaning to ageing in media texts and images? What is the role of older adults in the mediascape? How do older adults relate to media representations of ageing and older age? The volume is divided into three parts: (1) Framing and constructing ageing in media reporting; (2) Imagined ageing in promotional and fictional contexts; and (3) Older adults’ interaction with the media and media technologiesMedia representations of ageing play a role in stereotype formation and even reinforce them. Encountering these stereotypes can negatively impact the self-esteem, health status, physical wellbeing and cognitive performance of older people.This international collection examines different dimensions of ageing and ageism in a range of media. Chapters include explorations of the UK media during the COVID-19 pandemic; age, gender and mental health in Ghana; advertising in Brazil; magazines in Canada; Taiwanese newspapers; comics, graphic novels and more.Bringing together leading scholars, this book critically considers differences in media portrayals and how older adults use and interact with the media.Bringing together leading scholars, this international collection examines different dimensions of ageing and ageism in a range of media and how older adults use and interact with the media.