Social Media and Age-Based Stereotypes: The Reinforcement or Alleviation of Ageism
Abstract
The rapid reduction of late-life mortality rates and the drastic decline of global fertility rates have given rise to the aging population in many countries. Simultaneously, the digital revolution significantly increases the participation of digital technologies in people's daily lives. These two changes have amplified many existing problems. The social phenomenon of ageism has entered a new stage of alteration gradually, both in terms of its nature and significance. Therefore, the main purpose of this article is to investigate the current situation of age discrimination and to give an argumentative overview of how ageism is strengthened and alleviated after the prevalence of social media in people's lives. Based on the characteristics of social media, a logical discussion of whether these features would contribute to the alleviation or deterioration of ageism will be included in the third part of the article. Also, a few suggestions will be given in the article to assist in the mitigation of ageism via utilizing social media platforms. Advises are given mainly from the perspective of the government, which is related to legislation and educational reforms.
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