Psychological proximity to issues of the elderly: The role of age-morphing technology in campaigns for the elderly

Abstract

Even though the rapid aging of the population is a global phenomenon, reducing negative stereotypes of the elderly and building harmonious relationships between young and old generations have been critical steps to solving ageism issues worldwide. To contribute to these efforts, this paper examined the role of vivid images of people's future self via an age-morphing technology in communication strategies to address the issue of ageism. An online survey with 324 young participants who saw images of the future self was conducted. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the proposed relationships among psychological continuity, group identification, empathy, sympathy, ageism, psychological proximity, attitudes, and behavioral intentions. Results revealed that psychological continuity created through a vivid image of one's future self can lead to group identification with the elderly, influencing one's psychological proximity to issues of the elderly. This relationship is positively mediated by empathy and sympathy, and ageism negatively mediates the relationship. The close feelings to issues relevant to the elderly are likely to elicit a positive attitude toward the efforts of addressing the issues as well as greater participation in relevant social media campaigns for the elderly.