Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3075-8512

Date of Award

8-8-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Gerontology Institute

First Advisor

Wendy Simonds

Second Advisor

Jennifer Craft Morgan

Third Advisor

Antonius Skipper

Abstract

My thesis focuses on understanding the ways in which single-frame editorial cartoon images depicting older adults and sex are used online. Cartoons draw upon social stereotypes and reflect societal attitudes toward aging. The importance of sexuality across the lifespan is evident; however, people often direct ageist stigma at sexual activity in older adulthood. My study explores the use of single-frame editorial cartoons to further social, political, and capitalistic agendas. The location of these editorial cartoons on the internet indicates how the sexuality of older adults is used as a digital marketing strategy. I used the Google Lens search engine to conduct reverse image lookups (RIL) of cartoons to see where they are being published online. I recorded data on 32 single-cel cartoons about “old people and sex” that were previously collected for paper “‘Shout Dirty to Me’: A Discourse Analysis of Single-Cel Cartoons about Menopause, Erectile Dysfunction, and Old People and Sex” (Simonds and Pope, in progress). This thesis is guided by the theory of ageism, the encoding/decoding model of communication, and feminist intersectional theory. I explore these frameworks and how ageist messages are interpreted in a social context. Editorial cartoons, if wielded responsibility, could in fact help challenge stigmas that oppress older populations I used this data to explore the social and commercial implications of cartoon use on the sexuality of older adults. I hope this research will help provide a better understanding of the extent of ageist content online. Editorial Cartoons, Single-frame Cartoons, Sex and Older adults, Reverse Image Search, Visual Ageism, Humor, Disability, Age-Related Anxiety, Self-help, Capitalism

DOI

https://doi.org/10.57709/37370180

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