Mass Media, an Aging Population, and the Baby Boomers

The baby boomer generation is heading toward their retirement years, and uses of mass media - as well as the images portrayed in these media - are already being influenced by this demographic shift. This book comprehensively examines the linkage between media and aging issues, addressing mass media theory and practice as it relates to older people. Mass Media, an Aging Population and the Baby Boomers explains why aging baby boomers are an important area of mass media study, and reviews theory and research on communication and gerontology. Authors Jeremy Lipschultz and Michael Hilt focus on print media because older readers remain the most important audience for this media. They also examine television - one replacement for interpersonal communication - and consider the topic of entertainment, since older people generally have more available free time and use media for entertainment. They explore the impact of aging on advertising and public relations, and extend baby boomer media use to the Internet and new media. Their work draws from studies about health and sexuality to understand views of aging, and presents a view of older people as important players in the political process because of the size of the demographic group. Lipschultz and Hilt also address trends and predictions related to baby boomers and mass media. This text is intended for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in communication, gerontology, sociology, and political science. It may be used as a primary or supplementary reading, and can be combined with a more general theory book.