Conclusion: Production, transmission and reproduction of ageist practice

Abstract

Ageism shapes society as a whole, as this volume discusses through a range of different studies that focus on how elderhood is depicted, practised and understood. Two research questions articulate this volume. First, how does ageism operate in hyper-digitised societies? Second, what would be the strategies to tackle ageism? To answer them, I propose two levels of analysis that feed into each other: ageism at the design level and ageism at the symbolic level. I also take into account that old age constitutes a social periphery. More often than not, entering old age and retirement implies being located in a particular social location that constitutes a disadvantaged position, worsened by hyper-digitisation. Recommendations focus on research design and the material practices of conducting research and point towards bringing old age back from the peripheral position it now occupies.