A Sharp Drop or a Gentle Slope? Aging, the Elderly, and Mass Media Consumption

Our society puts a premium on youthfulness, and nowhere is this more evident than in mass media and in marketing. But with the so-called longevity revolution and the increasing awareness of social gerontology, not to mention the vast improvement in health care, is there a possibility that the Filipino elderly may yet be the embodiment of Deepak Chopra's "ageless body, timeless mind"? Or will the images of the helpless, unproductive, and senile individual persist? This study takes a look at the Filipino elderly's characteristics and their perceptions of aging. It also seeks to find out their patterns of mass media consumption and how the mass media can possibly contribute to the formation of their self-concepts.