MEDIA AND AGEISM

Abstract

It is widely recognized that how we approach old age is conditioned upon culture. Media is undoubtedly the largest cultural arena in which societal images and attitudes towards old age and older people are formed. The existing research usually discusses the process of underrepresentation and misrepresentation of old age and older people. However, media as an important part of everyday realities among older people are also about creation and active use of media and their content. It is therefore pertinent to the study of ageism to not only understand how different types of online and offline media represent ageing and old age, but also how people of different ages access and use those media and what types of knowledge about media and old age dominate. The main objective of this symposium is to address these concerns by specifically focusing on a) the processes of knowledge production about media and via media with regards to old age, and b) the ways in which older people’s use various types of online and offline media. The symposium brings together ageing and media studies researchers from several European countries who are active in research promoting anti-ageist knowledge that reflects the growing diversity of people of different ages who are commonly referred to as ‘old’.