Lonely older people as a problem in society – construction in Finnish media

Abstract

<jats:p>Loneliness is a prevalent stereotype of old age but there is a lack of studies of how it is represented in mass media. This study examines how the loneliness of older people is portrayed in mass media. The research material consists of 154 texts from the leading 50+ magazines and daily newspapers in Finland. In the texts, loneliness was rarely seen solely as a lack of companionship and many negative attributes were connected to it. Among other things, loneliness was connected to the low status of older people in society, inhumane practices in elderly care, lack of meaning in life and neglect by relatives. Loneliness was also viewed as an inevitable part of ageing. However, many suggestions were made to alleviate loneliness. The extent of these suggestions varied from broad and collective actions to simple and perfunctory solutions.</jats:p>

Loneliness among older people in the Swedish media : Constructions, discourses and the designation of responsibility

“…Outsider's perspectives A central finding of this thesis is that loneliness among older people is discussed from an outsider's perspective. This finding has been discussed throughout the thesis and is in line with findings from previous studies on images of ageing and older people in the mass media (Nilsson, 2008;Uotila et al, 2010). The finding raises the question of the implications this may have on how loneliness among older people is constructed.…”

“…The outsider´s perspective could also explain one of the main findings of this thesis, which is that the prime focus in the news articles is on those who perform or claim the need for-activities aimed at reducing loneliness, similar to findings of another study (Uotila et al, 2010). This was particularly apparent in news articles about volunteer work, where the volunteers motives for volunteering and even their personal life was described in detail.…”

“…Furthermore, ageing and older people are often depicted in the mass media and in public discussions, from an outsider's perspective, where older people are talked about (Nilsson, 2008). This perspective also applies to how loneliness in old age, within the context of Finnish media, is written about (Uotila et al, 2010). Age identities constructed in Irish newspaper discourses are found to characterise older people by dependency, fading abilities and otherness (Fealy et al, 2012).…”

“…Research on images of ageing and older people within the mass media has increased over the last few decades. One recurring finding in these studies is that there is an ongoing shift from negative to more positive depictions of older people, portraying later life as a time of opportunity, sustained productivity and selffulfillment (Uotila et al, 2010;Sawchuk, 2015;Ylänne, 2015: 369). This shift towards positive media representations of ageing, older people and later life can, according to Rozanova (2010), be viewed as a response to anxiety about who will provide care for a larger ageing population.…”

“…I have also attempted to include studies on constructions of loneliness among older people in mass media. According to my overviews, there is, however, only one study with this particular focus, in which constructions of loneliness among older people was studied within the context of the Finnish print-media (Uotila et al, 2010). The section on loneliness will provide a background on how research on loneliness has developed and evolved over time.…”