What would be useful to know is how much of this anxiety about the loss of physical prowess and attractiveness has been consistent over time; and, whether in the twentieth century with the changes to social and economic structures in the developed world, this has increasingly become a publicly acceptable neurosis. Or, is it simply media hype, a means of tapping into people's fears that works rather effectively and sells rather well that this hits the public radar so regularly.
What is it about the appearance of youth as compared with age that seems to hold the advantage in people's minds (and the way they view their bodies)?
The stereotypes are obvious: youth = vigour = desirability whereas agedness = decrepitude = undesirability. Equally trotted out in response are: youth = naive = foolish whereas agedness = wisdom = smart. All of which strike as somewhat trite and meaningless when swung together, given that wisdom is not limited to age, though experience does offer an advantage. The only constant is that physical 'fitness' is different as a person ages. Why is there no discussion about how people don't 'revitalise' their minds? Perhaps minds are not something people worry about in the greater scheme of things.
On the flip side to this debate, regularly "the youth of today" are blamed for all manner of evils in comparison with their more virtuous parents or predecessors. In counterbalance to this the aged are often accused of hogging the power structures. What is it about this tension between youth and age that smacks of authority and freedom and power and control? It sometimes sounds like a squabble between a 'parent' and a 'child', that rarely seems to enter into the 'adult'.
Is some of this discussion about the worship of "youth" and the desperate need to retain (or rebuild) youthfulness in looks, that seems at an odd disconnect with no discussion about the attitudes and trends associated with this desired age group? Does someone who uses botox or some other type of bodily intervention that aims to reduce the assessment of their appearance by 10 years think about shifting their mental age too? Why is there this split between the way a person's body looks and yet no discussion about how people adjust their minds to being perceived of as 10 years younger. In except that their ability to feel good about themselves in the same way that they did when they were younger, is retained, through physical intervention.
Anyway, what prompted this thinking was a review by a Rory Cellan-Jones entry on the BBC dot.life blog about social networking sites and his opinion that they were settling down in terms of their community member 'types'.
Bebo for kids, MySpace for Music buffs, and Facebook for university students and young professionals. I wondered whether at any point social networking sites will emerge for the older generation (not withstanding that some older individuals may well be on MySpace in the community of music lovers - but I somehow doubt they are plentiful), Twitter for technophiles (there is another broader category that isn't limited to the youthful - but again I suspect its greater membership is under 40 presently). Perhaps this perceived disproportion of youth presented in the media, and most certainly in internet discussions, is relates the idea that internet technology is the tool of the youthful masses (or the technically savvy) and not for the 50+ for social networking or using. As these internet users get older perhaps the reflections of age might seem more evenly spread, or representative, in presence, attitude and in commentary online, and in effect.
This thought was generated by reading Steven Hodson's blog on Mashable that punctures the notion that social networking has some impact. It sounded, just as he described himself, like the kind of comment that comes from a 'cranky old fart' who has lost his faith in the power of opinion. But he does seem to poke in the direction of the division between those older folks 'in power' and those that are on the 'net and the real ability to effect social change within the current political and social systems. Maybe with greater ability to be mobile in one's computing, and have that integrated into these systems, irrespective of age, the ability to communicate this to the rest of the world quickly becomes more flexible and change perhaps more viable. Though I suspect significant amounts of information passed down social networking sites potentially isn't about effecting social change and more about fashion and expression; and that's nothing new to the realms of the media in print or online. Some things perhaps haven't changed?
The one nice aspect to the anonymity the internet can afford is that one can hide one's age quite easily, and that may or may not benefit young and old and older. Whether one can hide the attitudes, ideas or opinions that have shaped your mind in the generation you were born in is another matter. Begs the question whether some people can be perceived of as ageless in their thoughts expressed online. In this miasma of neurosis about the youthfulness of one's appearance (and ever presence online), isn't there some interesting irony in that coincidence?
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