New love, old stereotypes: ageism in social media discourses on the golden bachelor

Age-based discrimination or ageism is often propagated through media platforms. Focusing on the 2023 reality television show “The Golden Bachelor”, which features older adult contestants seeking romance, this study explored ageism spread via social media posts related to the program. Using social astronomy software and qualitative content analysis of user posts, four forms of ageism (1) personal, (2) explicit, (3) implicit, and (4) benevolent, were explored in a sample of 4000 posts shared between November 2023 and June 2024 in Reddit’s English-language corpus. The analysis of Reddit posts related to “The Golden Bachelor” revealed four key themes: (1) Dimensions of Ageism—discussions highlighted overt and subtle forms of ageism, including personal, explicit, and benevolent biases; (2) Aesthetic and Gendered Expectations in Aging—Reddit users critiqued societal pressures for older women to maintain youthful appearances; (3) Sexuality and Romance in Older Adults—while some users expressed skepticism about older adults’ romantic pursuits, others celebrated the cast members’ desires for love and intimacy; (4) The Convergence of Ageism and Sexism—comments reflected a gendered lens, where older women faced harsher scrutiny compared to their male counterparts. While “The Golden Bachelor” may help some understand the capabilities of older adults and counter the misperception of them as asexual, existing ageist stereotypes emerge and are shared on social media platforms. These findings underscore the pervasive nature of ageism in social media and highlight the importance of addressing age-related biases in media representation.