As Our Parents Age

Media Literacy and Seniors: Repetitive Ads Construct Reality

Many people say they pay no attention to advertisements. However, television watchers, especially seniors, are continuously exposed to questionable advertising selling medications, insurance, political issues, and doubt about Medicare. Content grows more and more familiar as ads repeat over and over each day — first creating questions, then worry or doubt. Though viewers feel like they are not paying attention, the repetitive content seeps into consciousness — just what advertisers want to happen. Gradually the content generates a different feel — the claims feel as if they are real, and it grows harder to distinguish old ideas from new — and a different reality is constructed. (Read my recent post, Seniors and Media Literacy: Fear, Voting, and Manipulation.)

It’s critical for aging adults to understand the techniques advertisers use to manipulate and bring people around to a desired point of view. Learning how to distinguish television generated fear from real fear is also an important skill, one that can significantly improve the quality of life.

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November 12, 2010 Posted by Marti Weston | Accommodations, advertising and seniors, Ageism, Media, media literacy | adult children, advertising, aging parents, media literacy, media literacy principles, Medicare, television | Leave a Comment