#BoomerRemover: COVID-19, ageism, and the intergenerational twitter response

Skipper, Antonius; Rose, Daniel J.

doi:10.1016/j.jaging.2021.100929

Cited by 44 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…During COVID-19, people have specifically sought online social media platforms to consume, create, and circulate messaging about the pandemic. A serious concern during the pandemic has been the circulation of misinformation and the increased negative characterisations of older adults as burdensome and expendable ( Skipper & Rose, 2021 ; Soto-Perez-de-Celis, 2020 ). Soto-Perez-de-Celis (2020) observed that the ageist social media content varies by country and is shaped by the proportion of older adults in the population and the degree of ageism in social and political debates that create intergenerational tension and resentment.…”

Section: Theoretical Background: Covid-19 Health Securitisation Disco...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Social media platforms, such as Twitter, have become platforms for explicitly negative ageism during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, on Twitter we find circulating hashtags such as #BoomerRemover, #grandma/grandpa killer, #YOLOgrandparents, #greyshufflers, and #moldy oldies, as well as phrases like “boomer doomer” that denigrate older adults and normalise their high-mortality rate as a natural consequence of the pandemic ( Flett & Heisel, 2020 ; Fraser et al, 2020 ; Lichtenstein, 2021 ; Skipper & Rose, 2021 ). At the beginning of the pandemic in North America (mid-March 2020), one-quarter of Twitter tweets were ageist, particularly when referencing older adults as less valuable ( Jimenez-Sotomayor, Gomez-Moreno, & Soto-Perez-de-Celis, 2020 ).…”

Section: Theoretical Background: Covid-19 Health Securitisation Disco...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even more interesting is the intersection of ageism and politics on Twitter. Skipper and Rose (2021) explored the political function of the ageist hashtag #BoomerRemover on social media. They found that the hashtag was used to forecast the social, political, and economic consequences of contentious government decision-making during the pandemic (e.g., to close businesses and schools or to keep them open), to critique American politicians' ideas, and to highlight long-term political implications of the pandemic.…”

Section: Theoretical Background: Covid-19 Health Securitisation Disco...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Interestingly, social media became the ground to resist ageism in COVID-19 politics. For example, in opposition to the #BoomerRemover hashtag, people on Twitter used the hashtag #DisruptAgeism ( Skipper & Rose, 2021 ). Morality and ethics during COVID-19 have become a matter of political participation on everyday platforms, such as social media.…”

Section: Theoretical Background: Covid-19 Health Securitisation Disco...mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

“Remember this picture when you take more than you need”: Constructing morality through instrumental ageism in COVID-19 memes on social media

Graham

2022

Journal of Aging Studies

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Section: Theoretical Background: Covid-19 Health Securitisation Disco...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical Background: Covid-19 Health Securitisation Disco...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical Background: Covid-19 Health Securitisation Disco...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Theoretical Background: Covid-19 Health Securitisation Disco...mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

“Remember this picture when you take more than you need”: Constructing morality through instrumental ageism in COVID-19 memes on social media

Graham

2022

Journal of Aging Studies

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“…They found concerns over safety and suspicion about the vaccine development process were the two major driving forces behind vaccine hesitancy expressed on social media. With young adults maintaining a significant presence on social media platforms, along with the speed in which COVID-19-related messages and beliefs can be shared through social media [25] , understanding aspects of vaccine hesitancy among younger adults is particularly important.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitudes toward vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from HBCU students

Moye¹,

Skipper²,

Towns³

et al. 2021

AIMSPH

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<abstract><sec> <title>Purpose</title> To investigate the prevalence of vaccine hesitancy among black college students and to explain students' reasoning behind their vaccine hesitancy. </sec><sec> <title>Design</title> online survey completed in spring and summer of 2021. Students were recruited via email. </sec><sec> <title>Setting</title> HBCU campus, North Carolina, USA. </sec><sec> <title>Subjects</title> 397 currently enrolled students. </sec><sec> <title>Measures</title> An original survey instrument was developed which included questions on vaccination status and plans to get vaccinated, perceived threat from the coronavirus (adopted from PEW research) exercise behaviors and demographics. Respondents were also given the chance to respond to an open-ended question about their feelings about the vaccine. </sec><sec> <title>Analysis</title> Binary Logistic Regression predicting likelihood that respondent is vaccine hesitant. </sec><sec> <title>Results</title> Confidence in the safety of the vaccine was the strongest predictor of vaccine hesitancy. At the time of the survey only 25% of students had received at least one dose of the vaccine. 37% of the students did not plan on ever getting vaccinated. Other considerations (living with a vulnerable person or concerns about their own vulnerability to COVID) were not associated with getting vaccinated. Students were particularly concerned about side effects from the vaccine. </sec><sec> <title>Conclusion</title> Racial disparities in COVID-19 infections, deaths, and vaccinations serve as a stark reminder of the urgent need to better understand the factors that could lead to mitigation of the virus. Fear about the safety of the vaccine among minority populations in particular must be unpacked in order to address valid concerns and overcome hesitancy. This study provides key insights into the contours of those fears. </sec></abstract>

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“Stereotype embodiment theory”‐based intervention to reduce ageism in Japan: Integration with interventions to encourage life planning among younger people

Shimizu

2024

Int J Psychol

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To solve the problems related to the ageing society, effective strategies to reduce younger people's ageism towards older adults should be developed. Previous studies incorporated the content of stereotype embodiment theory (SET) into ageism reduction strategy, suggesting that younger participants' ageism eventually has undesirable impacts on their own future (i.e., SET intervention). In the SET intervention, participants read an explanatory text on several empirical findings related to SET. To enhance the versatility of this intervention, two experiments were conducted with younger participants in Japan. Study 1 examined concerns that arise in the practical application of the intervention. Results revealed that the SET intervention had few effects on fear of death and increased state self‐esteem. In Study 2, the SET intervention was combined with interventions to encourage life planning, in which they freely described possible negative/positive events in their future. SET intervention reduced ageism, increased advocacy for policies to support older adults and increased emphasis on life planning and hope for the future. Many previous studies have shown that intergenerational contact‐based interventions are effective in reducing ageism, and future research should be conducted in combination with the SET interventions.

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#BoomerRemover: COVID-19, ageism, and the intergenerational twitter response

Cited by 44 publications

References 21 publications

“Remember this picture when you take more than you need”: Constructing morality through instrumental ageism in COVID-19 memes on social media

“Remember this picture when you take more than you need”: Constructing morality through instrumental ageism in COVID-19 memes on social media

Attitudes toward vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic: results from HBCU students

“Stereotype embodiment theory”‐based intervention to reduce ageism in Japan: Integration with interventions to encourage life planning among younger people

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