Societal Values and Mass Medias Portrayal of the Elderly - Case Study Example

Societal Values and Mass Media’s Portrayal of the Elderly In this paper, the question, “how do sociological perspectives contribute to an understanding and explanation of media images of ageing and older age?” is addressed taking into consideration the three theories coming from the field of sociology. In tackling this subject, this paper first looks into the current status of media portrayal of the ageing population, or the elderly, or the over-50s, as this group is variably referred to. Negative and positive areas in media portrayal of the said group will be underlined. An analysis, borrowing much from the concepts, theories, and empirical data from the field of sociology, will follow. In the said analysis, this writer will elucidate upon as to why and how the type of media portrayal is what it is at present. Media’s portrayal of the ageing population The mass media has become an integral part of the postmodern society. Everyone, regardless of age, has some form of interaction with mass media in his life. Spring (1993) gives an estimate of how much of their leisure time elderly people (above-50) spend listening to the radio, watching television, listening to music, reading and going to the movies. His research reveals that as much as forty percent of their leisure is time dedicated to these activities. Knowing this, it is easy to see why creating a more accurate picture, if not a more compassionate and humanistic one, of the elderly’s situation in the realm of mass media, is very important. Curbing negativities in media’s portrayal of the elderly, many as they are as will be seen in the following paragraphs, should be given high priority. This is so because, it is undeniable that the mass media impacts interpersonal interaction1, affects our mental and physical health2, and, as most relevant to the proceeding discussion, the mass media greatly influence perceptions of aging and elderly people3. The images of the elderly as shown by the media vary depending on the (1) underlying purposes for which these images are created and, quite surprisingly, by the (2) type of communication medium in question. Broadly speaking, there are two types of media portrayal of the ageing population, first is the positive kind of portrayal, while the second paints a more negative picture of the group. Applying the concepts of sociology, the cause of this negative portrayal can be attributed to the phenomenon of ageism4 which will be given more attention later in this paper. For now, a more detailed presentation of the two types of portrayal is called for. Underlying purposes No great amount of intellect needs to be expended in order to understand the basic formula followed by media practitioners whenever they manipulate the elderly’s image in print and broadcast media. The image may be fun and vibrant, as when the underlying purpose of, say, a TV infomercial or a newspaper ad, is to sell retirement plans to a market of above-50 people who are contemplating retirement; or it may be bland, serious, and/or degrading. For instance, “Aronoff (1974) studied 2,741 characters in prime time over a two-year period and found that less than 5% were older people [and] when older characters were shown, they often were portrayed as either victims or villains. [Also] a later study by Harris and Feinberg (1977) showed that out of 312 characters observed and rated, only 8.3% were 60 or older;[with] 25% of the[m] were shown to be in poor health. A more recent study (Cassata, Anderson, & Skill, 1980) suggested improvements in terms of representation.” (Hiemstra, et al., 2005) This bland, serious and/or degrading presentation, which is ultimately a negative portrayal by the media of the elderly population may be due to different underlying purposes which include the attempt to be appear humorous to the viewers and the desire to present a depiction of the elderly which is parallel with the actual sentiments of society toward the elderly. This is the point wherein the field of sociology sheds light on, but more on this in a while. A second factor influencing the type of portrayal of the elderly chosen by media practitioners is the type of medium used. Whitehorn (2000) observes that the print media, especially magazines specifically tailored for consumption by the above-50 portrays a more positive, fun-loving, and healthy picture of the elderly. On the other hand, Blaikie (1998) shows that the same rose-colored image is barely present in portrayals by the broadcast media, for in this avenue, the above-50, as implied above, are usually shown as villains, victims and/or people who are afflicted with degenerative diseases, feeble-mindedness and who are marked with a lack of sex appeal. However, note that, the fact that one is print media and the other is broadcast is really not the ultimate reason for the differences in the quality of portrayal. Rather, it still boils down to the underlying purposes of the media practitioners concerned. Social underpinnings One of the reasons for media’s negative portrayal of the elderly, is the very culture of society itself to the extent that media merely represents society’s sentiments toward the elderly. The Charlotte Observer reports that “many in advertising and media say their portrayal of the elderly doesnt create… values, it only reflects them.” It quotes Bob Davies, director of strategic planning for Charlottes PriceMcNabb ad agency as saying, "as a culture, we value youth. We aspire to be young and look young," (Kelley, 2002) Furthermore, as Perdue and Gurtman (1990) point out, “it is commonly accepted that the elderly in our society find themselves viewed in predominantly negative fashion, victims of a pervasive form of discrimination and disparagement...” However, the influence that society has upon what media practitioners produce should not be mistaken as a unilateral wielding of influence. The truth is that media not only represent society’s pulse, but it also bolsters, furthers, and propagates, and even alters, the values of society. Hence, a symbiotic cycle forms between media and society as regards the notion of ageing. Gerbner (1993) posits that the television has tremendous impact on society’s culture. He states that “mass media are the most ubiquitous wholesalers of social roles in industrial societies. Mass media, particularly television, form the common mainstream of contemporary culture. They present a steady, repetitive, and compelling system of images and messages. For the first time in human history, most of the stories are told to most of the children not by their parents, their school, or their church but by a group of distant corporations that have something to sell. This unprecedented condition has a profound effect on the way we are socialised into our roles, including age as a social role...” (Gerbner, 1993) How did this form of social apathy and even emotional aversion toward the elderly came to be? We now look at the explanatory contributions of sociology on this matter. First, a note on sociology; “sociology is a pluralistic discipline. It reaches across disciplinary boundaries in seeking to understand social components in human development. It lays claim to medical sociology, to social gerontology, and to its own versions of social psychology. Sociological perspectives of the life course vary in their emphases on micro- or macro-levels, subjective or objective views, role structures or aggregates of aging people subjective or objective views, role structures or aggregates of aging people. The process of aging or development is viewed as mobility through the society and its institutions in which both people and roles are stratified by age, much as they are also stratified by class and sex (and in some societies by ethnicity).” (Sørensen, Sherrod, & Weinert, 1986) Most applied of the sociological theories concerning the interplay between ageing and society is espoused by the age-stratification system which posits that “important roles are age-graded and particular individuals and successive cohorts of individuals are continually aging throughout the life course from birth to death. (Sørensen, Sherrod, & Weinert, 1986) A model of this system can be seen in the work of Sørensen, et al. (1986). In their model, an area representing social space “is bounded on its vertical axis by years of age (0-80 or 100 or more), and bounded on its horizontal axis by dates (e.g., 1900, 1980, 2020)” attended to by changes in society (economic, cultural, political, and scientific). “Within this space, two sets of bars represent respectively the two dynamisms of aging and age-related changes in the society.” (Sørensen, Sherrod, & Weinert, 1986) However, the system, as any other theoretical framework, has its limitations and with this system, despite the continuing dynamics between aging and the changing social structure, nevertheless they remain to have distinct dynamisms. “Neither is reducible to the other. They refer to distinct, though interpenetrating, systems. Aging refers to the person as a system, social change to the age-stratified social system with its component sectors and institutions.” (Sørensen, Sherrod, & Weinert, 1986) Given this inevitable intermittent incompatibilities between the two factors, coming up with a sociological generalisation as to the causes producing media’s portrayal of the elderly population, would require a comprehensive analysis of age-era interaction through a period of decades. This task, although would be of great significance, is a tall order and cannot be given justice to by a relatively short paper such as this. Suffice it mention that the age-stratification model mentioned above is one of the most comprehensive methods in studying the subject in question. At this point, other sociological theories will be looked into, in search for a cause-effect explanation regarding media’s portrayal of the elderly population. Disengagement Theory The disengagement theory is a role adaptation model of old age which basically propounds a functionalist analysis. Despite it being one of the earliest sociological formulations regarding the social process of ageing, it has been a resilient gauge for assessing the sociological dynamics of age. As aforementioned, this theory is grounded on the concept of functionalism which espouses the “view that society is analogous to a living organism and that it is made up of a structure of interconnected parts in which each organ or institution plays a role in the maintenance of the whole.” (Vincent, 1995) The functionalist view of society posits that society’s degree of cohesion is “based around a central set of values, norms and expectations and that the institutions that form the structure of society comprise of roles (normative expectations of behaviour) that fit together… Disengagement theory suggests that ageing involves the gradual withdrawal by elderly people from social networks and from role obligations, and a complementary tendency for other people to lower their expectations of older people. So the elderly person both disengages and is disengaged from society.” (Vincent, 1995) Looking at the current state of affairs, it is not amiss to say that this disengagement theory hits the very nerve of the real problem. Following the functionalist logic of disengagement theory, light is shed on the question as to why media extends the kind of treatment it does to the ageing population. Aside from the negative portrayals mentioned earlier, media also marginalizes the elderly when thinking about marketing strategies as if the elderly has no purchasing power. These two major social problems can be explained through the framework provided for by disengagement theory. Disengagement theory would explain these negative imagery and act of marginalisation as an over manifestation of society’s of the above-50’s loss of social importance. Yet, to explain media’s attitude toward the elderly, one has to go beyond disengagement theory and incorporate other explanations regarding the matter. In line with this, another reason for this apprehension toward old age, and this was already mentioned in passing earlier, is human’s basic affection for beautiful aesthetics. Society is obsessed in looking young to the extent that physically attractive people benefit socially from their physical attractiveness. Physical attractiveness stereotype Aronson (1972) expounded on what has come later come to be known as the physical attractiveness stereotype: "We like beautiful and handsome people better than homely people, and we attribute all kinds of good characteristics to them." However, this narcissistic obsession with beauty is often submerged into facades sloganeering false concepts of health maintenance. Examples of advertisements espousing this false philosophy sold the dermatological wonders of “Liposomes (Vichy) and Ceramides (Elizabeth Arden)… [And for the more] skeptical [consumers], quantifying the advantages was meant to offer reassurance.” (MacDonald, 1995) A good example of this is Elizabeth Ardens claims for its moisturising cream were typical: “supercharged with HCA, a unique alpha-hydroxy complex, ceramides and other skin caring essentials; boosts skins hydration level over 450% after one hour” (Marie Claire, November 1993) Reacting to these, MacDonald (1995) writes, “by employing quasi-scientific discourses, these advertisements replaced skin-cares association with narcissism and beauty with an address to the post feminist woman: aware, self-reliant and taking responsibility for her own future and well-being.” All these sociological perspectives --- the age-stratification system, disengagement theory, and the physical attractiveness stereotype --- shed light on the why the media employ the kind of treatment it does when portraying the elderly population. Conclusion The point of departure of this writing was the question, “how do sociological perspectives contribute to an understanding and explanation of media images of ageing and older age?” By implication, this paper answered this query by this writer’s showing of three sociological theories elucidating the phenomenon of ageism. In this respect, one can then deduce that sociological perspectives contribute to an understanding and explanation of media images of ageing and old age through the following ways: 1) by disclosing the underlying purposes of media practitioners when painting pictures of a typical elderly’s life; 2) by disclosing the sentiments of society at large toward ageing. Aforementioned are the various reasons for the prevailing attitude toward the above-50s. The marginalisation of the elderly in advertisement messages is due to the fact that they are seen to be a non-influential consumer group. The avoidance of discussion regarding the elderly’s concern is due to the pervading fear of ageing which is intimately tied with the primacy given by society to robust health and physical beauty which it sees the elderly lack. All these reveal that ageism has manufactured substantial distortion in society’s treatment and perspective of ageing, leaving the elderly feeling a great sense of existential ennui, which often leads to depression.5 Reference List Aronoff, C. (1974). Old age in prime time. Journal of Communication, 24, 86-87. In Hiemstra, R., Goodman, M., Middlemiss, M., Vosko, R., & Ziegler, N. (2005) How Older Persons are Portrayed in Television Advertising: Implications for Educators. Retrieved May 4, 2007, from http://www-distance.syr.edu/oppta.html Aronson, E. ( 1972). The Social Animal. San Francisco: Freeman. Berkman, L., & Syme, S. ( 1979). "Social networks, host resistance, and mortality". American Journal of Epidemiology, 109, 186-204. 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