A Food Blog Created By and For Elders: A Political Gesture Informed by the Normative Injunctions to Eat and Age Well
pp. 75 - 92, download
(https://doi.org/10.55612/s-5002-036-005)
Abstract
This article analyzes a food blog developed by and for elders. The organization under study developed this project to integrate itself in a mediatized food culture. Rather than to perpetuate the individualising processes that come with the pressure to eat, be, and age in a healthy way, the group members used food as a means to collectively work towards their ideals of social justice. They have done so by developing digital skills and by adding their voice to the mediatized food culture. Therefore, they gained visibility and created socialization spaces. Through this project, they challenge ageist conceptions of older people’s (non) uses of technologies as means to improve their health or to keep in touch with their children and grandchildren. The research is based on the researchers’ participation in the project and is rooted in a cultural studies perspective, drawing from the literature emerging from the fields of critical food and ageing studies.
Keywords: Food culture, Successful ageing, Digital autonomy, Mediatization, Cultural studies, Critical ageing studies