Aging in the era of misinformation: Towards an intersectionality approach

Grounded in the theory of intersectionality, this study proposes an approach to unpack the nuances of aging in the era of misinformation. Instead of focusing solely on individual aging factors and the digitally relevant divide, this approach enables an in-depth analysis of how older adults’ experiences with misinformation can be constrained by structural factors and the broader digital landscape, alongside information policies in local contexts as the broader background. Meanwhile, this approach allows for a contextualized comprehension of the agency of older adults, illuminating their prioritization of news values which might not always lie in the authenticity. Guided by this approach, our study gives voice to the low-income older female adults in China, revealing their ongoing engagement with misinformation during the COVID-19 infodemic where exacerbated digitalized information inequalities were likely to be accompanied by their evolving definition of misinformation and information sharing behaviors.