Portrayals of older adults in over 3000 films around the world

Youth is Prized in Medicine, Old Age is Valued in Law: Analysis of Media Narratives Over 200 Years

BACKGROUND

This is the first study to explore how age has influenced depictions of doctors and lawyers in the media over the course of 210 years, from 1810 to 2019. The media represents a significant platform for examining age stereotypes and possesses tremendous power to shape public opinion. Insights could be used to improve depictions of older professionals in the media.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to understand how age shapes the portrayals of doctors and lawyers. Specifically, it compares the difference in sentiments toward younger and older doctors as well as younger and older lawyers in the media over 210 years.

METHODS

Leveraging a 600-million-word corpus of American media publications spanning 210 years, we compiled top descriptors (N=478,452) of nouns related to youth × occupation (eg, younger doctor or physician) and old age × occupation (eg, older lawyer or attorney). These descriptors were selected using well-established criteria including co-occurrence frequency and context relevance, and were rated on a Likert scale from 1 (very negative) to 5 (very positive). Sentiment scores were generated for "doctor/physician," "young(er) doctor/physician," "old(er) doctor/physician," "lawyer/attorney," "young(er) lawyer/attorney," and "old(er) lawyer/attorney." The scores were calculated per decade for 21 decades from 1810 to 2019. Topic modeling was conducted on the descriptors of each occupation in both the 1800s and 1900s using latent Dirichlet allocation.

RESULTS

As hypothesized, the media placed a premium on youth in the medical profession, with portrayals of younger doctors becoming 10% more positive over 210 years, and those of older doctors becoming 1.4% more negative. Meanwhile, a premium was placed on old age in law. Positive portrayals of older lawyers increased by 22.6% over time, while those of younger lawyers experienced a 4.3% decrease. In the 1800s, narratives on younger doctors revolved around their participation in rural health care. In the 1900s, the focus shifted to their mastery of new medical technologies. There was no marked change in narratives surrounding older doctors from the 1800s to the 1900s, though less attention was paid to their skills in the 1900s. Narratives on younger lawyers in the 1800s referenced their limited experience. In the 1900s, there was more focus on courtroom affairs. In both the 1800s and 1900s, narratives on older lawyers emphasized their prestige, especially in the 1900s.

CONCLUSIONS

Depending on the occupation, one's age may either be seen as an asset or a liability. Efforts must be expended to ensure that older professionals are recognized for their wealth of knowledge and skills. Failing to capitalize on the merits of an older workforce could ultimately be a grave disservice not only to older adults but to society in general.

Innovations for an Aging Society through the Lens of Patent Data

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

An aging population creates fertile ground for devising innovations for older adults. By using patents as a proxy for inventive activity, this study sets the stage for understanding the latest innovations being designed for the older population. Insights will pave the way for a better understanding of inventions that could render society more age-friendly on the innovation front.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

To identify the latest innovations targeted at the older population, we collected all patents (N = 326) issued in 2021, specifically those issued between January 5th and December 28th. Upon removing irrelevant data, 120 patents were retained in the data set. Both inductive and deductive modes of reasoning informed our content analysis of the data.

RESULTS

Three themes surfaced. About half (49.2%) of the patents focused on "Preventive Health, Safety, and Independence" (Theme 1). About 38.3% pertained to "Anti-Aging" (Theme 2) and 12.5% were about the "Pathologization of Old Age" (Theme 3).

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS

This is the first study that evaluates the state of innovations for an aging population. While there are inventions aimed at optimizing the well-being of older adults, there are also those designed due to beliefs that see old age as a problem to solve. As the world experiences a demographic shift, it is imperative that collective ingenuity be harnessed to build a society conducive to all facets of the aging experience.

Does Age Matter? Tweets About Gerontocracy in the United States

OBJECTIVES

Discussions on the political scene in the United States have been accompanied by the notion that the country has morphed into a gerontocracy, a system of governance where power is wielded predominantly by older individuals. With rising life expectancy, more as well as older candidates are likely to run for and stay in office. This study analyzes perceptions regarding the older political leadership of the United States.

METHODS

We collected 3,599 tweets containing the word "gerontocracy" which were uploaded between September 10, 2022 and November 10, 2022, a month prior to the midterm elections in the United States, when this topic was likely to have sparked considerable discussion. After applying our exclusion criteria, 1,266 tweets were retained. Our qualitative content analysis was performed inductively and deductively.

RESULTS

Seven themes emerged. Most tweets (24%; N = 304) highlighted that "Gerontocracy is a Problem" (Theme 1). Theme 2 (21%) focused on how "Democracy is a Sham" (N = 270). Theme 3 (19%) positioned "Old Age as the Problem and Youth as the Solution" (N = 234). Theme 4 (11%) was about how "The Future is at Stake" (N = 145). "Health Concerns" dominated Theme 5 (10%; N = 126). Theme 6 looked at "Structural Reforms" (9%, N = 115). Theme 7 "In Defense of the Gerontocracy" formed 6% of the data set (N = 72).

DISCUSSION

Attitudes toward older politicians are commonly tied to negative stereotypes surrounding old age. As the population ages, it is paramount that society focuses on potentially more important considerations in the evaluation of the actual caliber of a politician.