This study investigates the ways in which age and gender play out on the LinkedIn pages of global staffing agencies through an intersectionality lens. A discourse analysis of 437 LinkedIn posts (including visual images, captions, and comments) was conducted. This study found that the corporate discourse of diversity shaped the ways that age and gender were represented. The portrayals of age and gender were found to create gendered specializations of labor and reproduce gender stereotypes; additionally, some workers were represented as disembodied clusters of attributes. The results of this study show the complex ways in which age and gender systems unfold, including two systems mutually reinforcing, gender/age system surfacing, and two systems dissolving. The findings suggest that diversity has lost its performativity as a concept, as its portrayals may not support disadvantaged groups gaining access to better employment opportunities. This study proposes that staffing agencies actively address intersectional disadvantages and foster a gender- and age-transformative change.

Social media facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts and information about older people and later life through online networks and communities in contemporary society. Social media content about older people has become important for understanding media representations of older people, but it has not been sufficiently studied. Recent studies suggest that older people are predominantly represented as a disempowered, vulnerable and homogeneous group on social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. Because local authorities in many countries have begun using Facebook to reach out to and interact with citizens, they are seen as a significant producer of media content about older people and later life. The purpose of this study is to examine the ways in which Swedish local authorities have visually portrayed older people in their use of Facebook compared with other age groups. This research performed a visual content analysis of 1,000 Facebook posts posted by 33 Swedish local authorities, employing ten analytical aspects to describe and interpret the signs, activities and contexts associated with older people and other age groups (infants, children, adolescents and adults). The study found that the representations of older people on the Facebook pages of local authorities appeared to be not very diverse; specifically, older people (including those in residential care homes) were mainly portrayed as remaining socially engaged and moderately physically capable. This media representation destabilised the prevalent negative stereotypes of older people as being out of touch and dependent; however, it collided with the reality of older individuals with care needs. Additionally, this study argues that older people are represented as inferior to the young in terms of physical and technological competence, based on the connotations of the signs. Given that local authorities have progressively incorporated social media into their daily work, it is expected that this study will contribute to a greater understanding of the ways in which local authorities produce (non-)stereotypical representations of older people on social media.

Objectives

We explored the portrayal of older adults and the public response to topics concerning older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chinese social media (Weibo topics, equivalent to hashtags on Twitter). We also explored the temporal trends of dominant themes to identify changes over time.

Method

Topics related to older adults were searched in the Weibo topic search engine between January 20 and April 28, 2020. Overall, 241 topics and their view frequency and comment frequency were collected. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted to classify the topics into themes. The popularity of each theme was also analyzed. In addition, the frequency with which each theme appeared during the three major stages of the pandemic (outbreak, turnover, post-peak) was reported.

Results

Six main themes were identified. “Older adults contributing to the community” was the most prominent theme with the highest average comment frequency per topic. It was also the most dominant theme in the first stage of the pandemic. “Older patients in hospitals” was the second most prominent theme, and the most dominant theme in the second and third stages of the pandemic. The percentage of topics with the themes “Care recipients” and “Older adults caring for the young” increased over time.

Discussion

The portrayal of older people as being warm, competent, and actively exercising their agency is prevalent on Weibo. The Weibo-viewing public shows signs of interest in intergenerational solidarity during the pandemic in China. These findings are different from findings reported by studies conducted in the West.

Ageism is a social problem that has harmful effects on the wellbeing of older people and needs to be tackled. It is pervasive and evident in the media (e.g., films, television, print and social media). Despite the fact that non-individual actors have adopted social media on a large scale in contemporary society, the social media representation of older people generated by those actors has remained insufficiently studied. This thesis aims to increase our knowledge of social media representations of older people and improve our understanding of ageism in the media. The knowledge obtained from this research can be used to inform policy and practice in terms of mitigating ageism in the media.

This thesis consists of four articles, which examine social media representations of older people generated by local authorities and media companies, with a particular focus on exploring how older people are represented in social media and how social media content about older people is produced. Articles 1, 3 and 4 present empirical analyses of social media texts about older people generated by Swedish local authorities and Chinese media companies, serving to identify the representations that may lead to ageism. Article 2 offers an empirical analysis of the production process for social media photos of older people within local authorities, serving to explore the ways in which stereotypical third-age representations are generated. This thesis employs the methods of content analysis and thematic analysis to examine representations of older people on various social media platforms (i.e., local-authority-managed Facebook pages, Tencent Video as a video streaming platform and Sina Weibo as a microblogging platform). It also employs the method of thematic analysis to analyse interview transcripts concerning the production of social media photos of older people within local authorities.

The results of the thesis reveal the complexity and nuances in the representation process and the meanings generated by those representations of older people on social media. More specifically, the thesis illuminates three ways in which the social media representations of older people lead to ageism: (1) the stereotyping of older people through signifying practice; (2) the generation and negotiation of the meanings surrounding older people among social actors with different power relations; and (3) the use of formal and informal rules within social media in the representation activities of mediatized institutions. A synthesis of the findings from the four empirical articles indicates a process of establishing the stereotypical third-age representation as a convention for social media, which can be seen as institutional ageism. The synthesis also indicates that this stereotypical third-age representation appears to be prominent in different contexts and across the various types of social media under examination. In this regard, it is necessary to promote knowledge and raise awareness about the risks associated with such representations of older people in the media. This thesis deepens our understanding of ageism in the media and generates evidence-based policy recommendations for media producers to inspire more thoughtful and reflexive media representations of older people and later life.

Ålderism är ett socialt problem som har negativa effekter på äldre människors välbefinnande och som därför behöver uppmärksammas och motverkas. Ålderism återfinns och skapas i alla typer av media (t.ex. filmer, tv, tryck och sociala media) genom det sätt på vilket äldre personer framställs i dessa sammanhang. Trots att en rad olika typer av organisationer idag använder sig av sociala medier, så har forskningen rörande mediarepresentationer av äldre personer än så länge varit inriktad på individers användning av sociala medier, medan representationer av äldre personer i organisationers sociala medier fått lite uppmärksamhet.  Denna avhandling syftar till att öka kunskapen om hur äldre personer framställs i sociala media samt om ålderism i media. Förhoppningen är att kunskapen ska kunna bidra till att motverka ålderism i media, genom att påverka såväl policyer som praktik. 

Avhandlingen består av fyra artiklar och delstudier som utforskar sociala media-representationer av äldre personer som skapats av lokala myndigheter och medieföretag med ett särskilt fokus på hur äldre personer framställs i sociala medier samt hur medieinnehåll rörande äldre personer produceras. Artikel 1, 3 och 4 omfattar empiriska analyser av sociala media-representationer av äldre personer som skapats av svenska lokala myndigheter och kinesiska medieföretag. Artikel 2 presenterar en empirisk analys av den produktionsprocess som föregår de stereotypiska tredje-ålder-representationer som i tidigare studier visat sig vara framträdande i lokala myndigheters sociala media. De metoder som i avhandlingen används för att analysera representationer av äldre personer och åldrande på olika sociala medieplattformar (dvs. lokala myndigheters Facebook-sidor, video-strömningsplattformen Tencent Video och mikrobloggplattformen Sina Weibo) är innehållsanalys och tematisk analys. Tematisk analys används även för att analysera intervjudata rörande den process som föregår att vissa – stereotypa-bilder av äldre personer är framträdande i lokala myndigheters sociala medier.

Avhandlingens resultat belyser komplexiteten och nyanserna i den representationsprocess och de betydelser som skapas av dessa representationer av äldre personer i sociala medier. Mer specifikt belyser avhandlingen tre sätt varigenom representationer av äldre personer i sociala medier kan leda till ålderism: (1) stereotypifiering av äldre personer genom betydelsebärande praktiker; (2) genom att innebörden av representationerna av äldre personer och åldrande framställs och förhandlas av aktörer med olika maktrelationer; och (3) genom mediatiserade institutioners användning av formella och informella regler för sociala media. En syntes av resultaten från de fyra empiriska artiklarna och delstudierna indikerar att en stereotyp tredje åldern-representation är framträdande i de olika organisatoriska sammanhang och de olika typer av sociala medier som studerats. Syntesen pekar därmed också mot att en stereotyp tredje åldern-representation kommit att blivit vedertagen i organisationers sociala media, något som kan ses som en form av institutionaliserad ålderism. Det är därmed av största vikt att främja kunskap och öka medvetenheten om de risker som är förknippade med representationer av äldre människor i sociala media. Avhandlingen fördjupar vår förståelse av ålderism i media och bidrar till att skapa evidensbaserade policyrekommendationer för medieproducenter i syfte att inspirera till mer genomtänkta och reflekterade medierepresentationer av äldre personer och åldrande.

European local authorities increasingly use social media to present services and activities organized for citizens living in the particular area. Previous studies found that authority-managed social media visually depicted older adults as being active, sociable, happy, and physically capable, reflecting the normative “third age” representation. Yet few studies to date have examined how local authorities produce the photos of older adults for social media posting. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with communication officers in a Swedish municipality, the purpose of this study is to investigate the production process for social media photos of older adults within local authorities from an institutional logics perspective. The analysis illustrates that communication officers strive to create a good image of the municipality and its services, follow municipal policy and EU law on data protection, seek photos through particular sources, adjust to and develop photographic standards of good photos, and endeavor to promote social media engagement in the photos. These motives and work practices of communication officers contribute to the visual representations of older adults as engaging in municipal services, being socially active, and staying physically capable. The analysis also indicates that both social media and bureaucratic logics encourage officers to produce photos of older adults that highlight the bright side of later life. The findings contribute to previous studies on online representations of older adults generated by local authorities, by showing how the third age representation may come about in practice, and which logics may influence officers to generate such representation. Furthermore, the knowledge provided could be used as a basis for assessment and improvement on authorities' production for social media photos of older adults, which in turn contributes to more diverse and thoughtful representations of older adults and later life in authority-managed social media.

Mass media are one of many institutions that contributes to the construction of stereotypical images of ageing and old age and studies have shown that older people have primarily been associated with negative depictions in newspapers and television programs. In recent years, European public bureaucracies have increasingly used social media tools for communicating with citizens. However, few ageing research and media research have dealt with public administrators and their work routines of depicting older citizens in social media. This study aims to investigate how Swedish local authorities generate social media pictures of older people, and what consequences the institutional practices may have on reducing ageist representations. This research performed an analysis on the Facebook photos of older people posted by local authorities and conducted semi-structured interviews with communicators in the aspects of sourcing and selecting photos of older people, designing and evaluating social media posts. This study found that communication guidelines and assignments from the municipality (re)direct communication resources and practices which may decrease the proportion of pictures of older people. Moreover, it found that local authorities have been adaptive to social media and published favourable photos of active and healthy older people, while they failed to address the heterogeneity of older people when it comes to health and function. While the institutional practices of capturing positive later life may contribute to up-grading stereotypical images of older people as sick and dependent, they could simultaneously be considered as ableist and as giving a false impression of long term care.

This article investigates the generation of online representations of older people by institutions. Specifically, it discusses the ways in which public sector organizations generate online representations of older people from a production perspective. This article uses the following questions to frame its analysis: What do we know about online representations of older people generated by public sector organizations? What do we know about the way in which public sector organizations generate online representations of older people? And, how can public sector organizations improve online representations of older people from a production perspective? The analysis primarily draws on secondary data (i.e., existing literature and examples of public sector organizations) to address these questions. After summarizing existing research examining online representations of older people generated by public sector organizations, this article offers a specific example of a public sector organization generating online representations of older people (i.e., a Swedish municipality). A discussion of the approaches public sector organizations takes to generating online representations of older people is provided, and the argument is made that public sector organizations have a convergent position where they must take care of older people while presenting this care online. Moreover, this article discusses the generation of online representations of older people in the public sector concerning accountability, calling for greater accountability in representations of older people online.

It has been argued that older people living with dementia often experience stigma. Several media interventions have been designed to raise public awareness about dementia, as well as to de-stigmatise the condition and people living with it; however, few studies have investigated how media interventions may serve to reduce stigma. The present study focused on a Chinese reality show, Forget Me Not Café, which brought together five older people (aged 65 and older) living with dementia to run a pop-up restaurant and intended to reduce the stigma of dementia. The study aimed to explore how the reality show cast talk (or write) about dementia in older people. This study performed a thematic analysis on the written and spoken content about how the show presented dementia in older people. Four discursive themes were identified, including: age as a risk factor for dementia; early signs and symptoms of dementia in older people; the pressure on the family of people with dementia; and expectations of people living with dementia. The findings of this study show that the views of the reality show cast highlight the capability of older people with dementia to communicate effectively and live with the condition, their personal goals of sustaining a happy, meaningful, and sociable life, and the actions they took to positively influence personal circumstances. The findings also indicate that this reality show might help reduce the stigma of dementia and empower older people living with dementia, while it also tends to stress the responsibility for care on family carers and shift the responsibility of managing the dementia-related challenges to older people living with dementia. These suggest a neoliberal tenet of personal responsibility for health in China. Given the media's role in reflecting and shaping perceptions and attitudes towards dementia and people living with it, this study contributes to a greater understanding of the ways in which reality shows can be used to promote awareness and challenge the stigma of dementia and arguably other conditions.

Loneliness in advanced age has become one of the societal concerns considering its detrimental effects onphysical and mental health of older people. Information and communication technologies show thepotential to prevent or tackle loneliness and social isolation among older people. Given a percentage of theolder population feeling lonely, loneliness in older age has been increasingly recognized as a stereotypeabout older people and ageing which shapes self-perceptions of ageing. This cross-sectional study aims toinvestigate the interaction between older people’s Internet use and the level of loneliness, as well asintroduce the important role that self-perceptions of ageing may play in this association. The analyses wereperformed on data of community-dwelling older adults aged 65+ years from the German Ageing Survey.Findings from this study have shown that older people’s greater Internet use was significantly associatedwith a lower level of loneliness; meanwhile, positive self-perceptions of ageing were correlated with alower degree of loneliness. Additionally, self-perceptions of ageing (in the aspect of personal competence)moderate the relationship between Internet use and loneliness among older people. This paper allowsinsight into the important moderating role of positive self-perceptions of ageing in the relationship betweenolder people’s Internet use and the level of loneliness. This moderating effect hence contributes to thebeneficial implications of frequent Internet use on preventing or reducing the level of loneliness. Given theglobal context of overwhelming facilitation of digital technologies across sectors and vulnerable socialgroups, it is of significance to empower older adults with negative self-perceptions of ageing to ensure theygain benefits from technological advances, as well as to challenge the prevalent stereotypes about olderpeople and ageing in societies.

Based on financial data for Chinese listed media companies between 2011 and 2016, this paper examines the relationship between liability and corporate performance and offers a structural equation model of firm performance (media business). Results reveal that debt maturity structure, managerial shareholding, long-term liability, debt/tangible assets ratio and asset-liability ratio are all key factors in firm performance (media business). Additionally, it is found that debt/tangible assets ratio, asset-liability ratio and liability-equity ratio are associated with firm performance (overall business). This paper presents a structural equation model with four influencing paths related to firm performance (media business). It sets forth suggestions for improving firm performance (media business) and capital utilization with the requirement that business managers and policymakers foster better liability management and achieve debt structure optimization.