Abstract:

Old age, which refers to the last period of life reached with aging, is a period in which physical, social and economic losses are experienced and various diseases are encountered. Although the proportion of the elderly population in the total population is increasing day by day, with the modernization, the elders have lost their authority in the society to a great extent and have to face various problems. On the other hand, media has the potential to direct perceptions and influence attitudes and behaviors. In this sense, it is accepted that the representation of the elders/old age in the media affects the perception, attitudes and behaviors of the society towards the elders. Studies show that the representation of the elders/old age in the media is generally based on problematic and negative images and stereotypes. This study aims to reveal how the representation of the elders in news images is shaped. In this study, the images of the elders/old age news published in Cumhuriyet, Hürriyet, Sabah and Yeni Şafak newspapers between 2000-2018 were analyzed by content analysis method. The analyzes made reveal that the representation of the elders in the news images about the elders/old age has a negative image. Elderly people are mostly represented in news images alone, in casual clothes, in the home environment and as people who have lost their physical attractiveness.

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