Communicating Risk Perceptions Through Batik Art

Ng, Reuben; Indran, Nicole; Suarez, Pablo

doi:10.1001/jama.2023.14278

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Span is the span of words, that is, if there are 6 words to the left and 6 words to the right of the target word, span=12; log (2)=0.30103. This is an application of concordance analysis called "psychomics", which has been used in past literature to analyze societal stereotypes [10,[47][48][49][50]. This rigorous process culminated in 478,452 collocates (descriptors or adjectives).…”

Section: Selection Of Descriptors and Sentiment Scoringmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Ng,

Indran

2024

J Med Internet Res

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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.

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Section: Selection Of Descriptors and Sentiment Scoringmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Ng,

Indran

2024

J Med Internet Res

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“…The level of support shown to this group is likely to fluctuate over time, depending on the frequency at which anti-Asian attacks are reported in the news as well as other types of news being covered. Sentiment and narrative analyses [56][57][58] could be performed to glean such insights.…”

Section: Theoretical Contribution and Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

#ProtectOurElders: Analysis of Tweets About Older Asian Americans and Anti-Asian Sentiments During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Ng,

Indran

2024

J Med Internet Res

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Background A silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic is that it cast a spotlight on a long-underserved group. The barrage of attacks against older Asian Americans during the crisis galvanized society into assisting them in various ways. On Twitter, now known as X, support for them coalesced around the hashtag #ProtectOurElders. To date, discourse surrounding older Asian Americans has escaped the attention of gerontologists—a gap we seek to fill. Our study serves as a reflection of the level of support that has been extended to older Asian Americans, even as it provides timely insights that will ultimately advance equity for them. Objective This study explores the kinds of discourse surrounding older Asian Americans during the COVID-19 crisis, specifically in relation to the surge in anti-Asian sentiments. The following questions guide this study: What types of discourse have emerged in relation to older adults in the Asian American community and the need to support them? How do age and race interact to shape these discourses? What are the implications of these discourses for older Asian Americans? Methods We retrieved tweets (N=6099) through 2 search queries. For the first query, we collated tweets with the hashtag #ProtectOurElders. For the second query, we collected tweets with an age-based term, for example, “elderly” or “old(er) adults(s)” and either the hashtag #StopAAPIHate or #StopAsianHate. Tweets were posted from January 1, 2020, to August 1, 2023. After applying the exclusion criteria, the final data set contained 994 tweets. Inductive and deductive approaches informed our qualitative content analysis. Results A total of 4 themes emerged, with 50.1% (498/994) of posts framing older Asian Americans as “vulnerable and in need of protection” (theme 1). Tweets in this theme either singled them out as a group in need of protection because of their vulnerable status or discussed initiatives aimed at safeguarding their well-being. Posts in theme 2 (309/994, 31%) positioned them as “heroic and resilient.” Relevant tweets celebrated older Asian Americans for displaying tremendous strength in the face of attack or described them as individuals not to be trifled with. Tweets in theme 3 (102/994, 10.2%) depicted them as “immigrants who have made selfless contributions and sacrifices.” Posts in this section referenced the immense sacrifices made by older Asian Americans as they migrated to the United States, as well as the systemic barriers they had to overcome. Posts in theme 4 (85/994, 8.5%) venerated older Asian Americans as “worthy of honor.” Conclusions The COVID-19 crisis had the unintended effect of garnering greater support for older Asian Americans. It is consequential that support be extended to this group not so much by virtue of their perceived vulnerability but more so in view of their boundless contributions and sacrifices.

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Communicating Risk Perceptions Through Batik Art

Abstract: This Arts and Medicine essay describes creation of a batik art installation titled Risktalk, illustrating trends in mentions of public health and non-health risk-related topics in popular written media from 1810 to 2009.

Cited by 2 publications

References 9 publications

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

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

#ProtectOurElders: Analysis of Tweets About Older Asian Americans and Anti-Asian Sentiments During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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