Author: Charlene Chu et al.
Publisher: The Gerontologist, Volume 62
Publication Year: 2022
Summary: The following paper explores the impacts of ageism and technology. They define “digital ageism” as the repercussions of bias against older individuals in the digital age. Ageism is formally defined as prejudicial attitudes toward older adult populations and the process of aging, discriminatory practices against older adults, and/or institutionalized policies and social practices that foster these attitudes and actions. They describe the two primary outcomes: harms of allocation and harms of representation. Harms of allocation refer to the distribution of resources and opportunities. This includes opportunities like when to be released on bail, receiving notification about potential job prospects, and access to health care resources or services. In contrast, harms of representation refer to how different groups or identities are represented and perceived by society. In order to mitigate these issues the author recommends 4 considerations: 1). Representation, 2). Design, 3). Technology, and 4). Allocation. Considering these 4 areas before the implementation of new products are useful to generate questions about accessibility and fairness before their implementation.