ABSTRACT
Stereotypes of older adults on Facebook group descriptions tend to be either excoriating or infantilizing. What explains the extreme nature of these descriptions? We argue that stereotypes in mass media are heavily segmented. The segments reflect general stereotypes, societal factors, and institutional factors, but are otherwise very distinct from each other. For instance, the positive ageism of magazines promoting healthy and happy aging is one stereotype segment, while the negative ageism of youth cultures such as those surrounding music is another stereotype segment. We discuss children’s television and film, children’s classic literature, men’s and women’s magazines, social media sites, and rock and goth music as specific stereotype segments.
