Ethical Aspects in Web Marketing for Seniors: A Grid for Linguistic Analysis

Abstract

People aged 65 and over make up an increasing share of the population of both the US and Europe as well as of other developed countries. Similarly to the elderly from the past, as social actors they are prone to vulnerability and risk due to their age. However, today’s seniors are different from seniors from past decades as regards education, finances and IT skills, as well as in their motivations, expectations and needs. They also increasingly negotiate their own age discursively, making it no longer a factual datum but a flexible one. This makes it difficult for public and private institutions alike to understand them as consumers. Drawing from previous research in sociolinguistics, marketing and social studies, this study aims to propose a grid for the linguistic analysis of the opportunities and risks inherent in (web-)marketing texts aimed at seniors, with particular attention to the ethical repercussions that these may have for them. The potential strengths and possible limits of the proposed grid are then evaluated, and suggestions for future developments are put forward.