Modos de envelhecer

: trajectórias de vida activa, qualidade de vida e práticas mediáticas

Abstract

In this thesis, the main objective is to know the influence of the media practices on modes of ageing and on quality of life. We started from the concept of Active Ageing (WHO, 2002), whereby we shall promote the opportunities which can improve quality of life on ageing. Media Practices theory (Couldry, 2003) allowed us understanding the way that media, and especially the «new» media, articulates with practices of the elderly, giving a meaning for their everyday life. The main thesis is that life course, quality of life on its various dimensions and media practices contribute for different ways of ageing. Empirical search was developed with biographic interviews to 4 men and 8 women, aged between 78 and 91, with different scholling and from different context (rural and urban) and social classes. The respondents were living in different institutionalizational contexts (residence or day center) in two residences in the area of Lisbon, and had more or less contact and use of new technologies. This choice was made because we believe that different contexts, meanings and life experiences turn into distincts processes of ageing. From the emphirical analyses, we reached a typology of different ways of ageing, based on three axes: active life courses, quality of life and media practices of each of the respondents. We identified 3 different modes of ageing, according to the active life course (short, if it is finished before the retirement age; medium, if it is until the retirement age; long if it is finished after the retirement age); the quality of life, measured by autonomy and independence (independents, semi-independents and dependents) and the media practices (enthusiastic and users, enthusiastics but not users and the overpast).

Date of Award	18 Feb 2015
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Verónica Mafalda Nunes de Melo Policarpo (Supervisor)