Ageism and how Misconceptions and Misinformation Play a Role
The content found in the media is considered a continuous reflection of the practices in society. The media influences daily interactions, and in this case, the manner in which individuals relate to older adults and the manner in which individuals view the aspect of getting old. It is common for print advertisements, television programs, and advertisements to depict older adults as a financial burden to society (Loos & Ivan, 2018). Some companies refrain from using older adults for fear of having their services and products being associated with the concept of being old. Such representations reinforce the stereotypes, mostly negative, about older adults and aging. As a result of these stereotypes, older adults tend to experience negative physical well-being, health status, cognitive performance, and self-esteem (Loos & Ivan, 2018). Further, media tools like newspapers, films, and even greeting cards play a key role in enhancing stereotypes about aging and should therefore be used to promote aging among the population. Do you need urgent assignment help ? Get in touch with us at eminencepapers.com.
Newspapers tend to emphasize the idea of successful aging, which comprises independence, physical youthfulness, and productivity. According to Rozanova, Miller & Wetle (2016), such ideals are not shared by all cultures. Therefore, constructing the idea of successful ageing is likely to devalue and negatively affect the well-being of individuals whose lifestyles and lives do not align with the ideal. This notion seems to blame older adults for their shortcomings when they fail to meet the ideal successful aging. Most newspapers in the US usually provide a blueprint for how individuals are supposed to age successfully.
For instance, in an article in the New York Times, emphasis was placed on individuals being smart consumers who need to make informed choices about what they eat and how they exercise and stay connected with others to ensure that they age gracefully and successfully (Brody, 2021). The author is an 80-year-old woman who looks relatively younger and more energetic than most of her peers. According to Rozanova, Miller & Wetle (2016), placing emphasis on the concepts of successful aging such as staying engaged and active and having a youthful body may provide a standard against which older adults compare themselves with their peers and the manner in which the society assesses them. Successful aging in newspapers promotes the cultural norms of postponing old age and even mortality. This is also evident in the rise in anti-ageing services and highly attractive products to individuals, particularly women. Therefore, whereas some newspapers do a good job of promoting healthy lifestyles that can maintain good health and promote longevity for people, such newspapers also serve to demonize the idea of getting old, which is often associated with frailty, being burdensome, and losing independence.
Greeting cards like birthday cards play a key role in promoting certain stereotypes about older adults. Such cards are considered as message carriers, gifts, and exchange objects (Zeman & Zeman, 2017). Birthdays are commonly celebrated when individuals are younger, but they begin to feel less happy about it as they grow older. At age 30, most individuals, particularly women, begin to feel that they have aged immensely. Birthday cards that are age-specific and stereotypical tend to overstate occurrences of Alzheimer’s disease, place emphasis on physical changes that come with old age, depict older adults as lacking sexual interest or having inappropriate sexual interest, and also portray them as cranky and unattractive (Dennis, 2021).
Some of the messages found in age-specific birthday cards include: “Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can’t remember them either,” and “You know you are getting older when it takes twice as long to look half as good” (Dennis, 2021). The list is endless, and it is evident that emphasis is placed on the cognitive, social, and physical decline that comes with growing older. These cards are normally meant to be humorous. However, such depictions only increase the fears about aging, and the older adults are made to feel even more worthless.
Furthermore, most of these cards have negative messages for women compared to men. Emphasis is commonly placed on unattractive physical changes for women, such as sagging breasts, sexual stagnation, declining intelligence as well as uselessness and unhappiness (Ellis & Morrison, 2016). Not all older adults experience such diseases as Alzheimer’s. These cards, therefore, only emphasize the negative stereotypes that society already has towards older adults.
Furthermore, one of the most powerful media tools is the television an