Introduction

The global population is aging, with China being no exception, and continually expanding aging population in China warrants attention. According to the Seventh National Population Census in China in 2020, the proportion of elderly people over 60 and 65 in China approximates the standard of a moderate aging society. In 2023, the aging population increased to 297 million, with the level of aging growing to 21.1 percent. In addition, the aging process in China is faster than that of other countries, exemplified by the trend that the proportion of people aged 60 and above increases by about one percentage point every two years (Wu et al. 2023). Against this backdrop, elders’ conditions deserve attention not only in the realm of the public but also in the arena of academia.

Common chronic diseases and geriatric syndromes such as Alzheimer’s disease have long been a focal point in the field of aging studies, with research endeavors primarily encompassing data surveys, trend analyses, and further recommendations (Jia et al. 2024; Liu et al. 2024; Zhang et al. 2024). Ye and her colleagues (2023) expand this scholarship by focusing on the economic expenditure related to diseases commonly experienced by the elderly. They find the alarming and increasing economic burden attributable to age-related diseases in China and call for urgent interventions to address the immense expenses associated with age-related diseases.

In addition, the psychological conditions of elders have also long been investigated, indicating that some elders harbor negative impressions of their age and fear becoming old (van Wijngaarden et al. 2019). In the digital era, their inability to keep up with the rapidly changing times has made them even more isolated. Furthermore, much research is devoted to the care of elders. For instance, it has been proved that the elder abuse has become a global problem (Storey 2020), hinting that elders’ physical conditions are also at risk. Thus, the fact that seniors, caught in the tide of aging and in the era of the digital economy, are normally vulnerable groups has promoted studies on how to support them (Berdes and Eckert 2007; Busso et al. 2020). Chen and her colleagues (2023), for example, believe that the promotion and facilitation of a formal, long-term care system is essential, which will also foster a dynamic labor force and a robust healthcare economy.

Therefore, current scholarship in China focuses more on the management of geriatric syndromes (Chhetri et al. 2021), elders’ psychological well-being, and the provision of healthcare. Research within this context contributes to the realization of a healthy aging strategy in China that aims at establishing a comprehensive and affordable annual health-examination system nationwide (Li et al. 2023). Nonetheless, the studies accentuate a disadvantaged image of elders by focusing on their vulnerabilities. Despite the challenges posed by aging, industries in China associated with elders have emerged as new drivers of economic growth. As the main force in a silver economy, elders are no longer homogenously vulnerable. Consequently, a more comprehensive description of their living conditions is warranted. Given the continuous media attention to national policies about aging and a silver economy, the living conditions of elders portrayed in the media can be explored and interpreted to offer new insights into improving elders’ living conditions in the context of the digital economy.

Elders’ living conditions and polices about aging, which are tracked by news reports, however, receive little scholarly attention. News reports serve as a conduit to recognize elders’ living conditions, where metaphors are used as a common strategy. The utilization of metaphors often carries specific connotations, yet it obscures the authors’ intentions, posing challenges for readers in fully grasping their purposes. Therefore, metaphor analysis serves to unveil the underlying objective of the authors. To illustrate, Bao (2024), by centering on the metaphorical framing of feminism on social media in China, finds that feminism is portrayed as irrational and disruptive in Weibo, a Chinese social media platform.

Metaphor analysis is also widely used to ferret out journalists’ rhetorical motives (Sahlane 2012; Lang 2020). Specifically, metaphor analysis can facilitate readers’ understanding of journalists’ preferences embedded within news discourse, thereby promoting the conveyance of information about policies to readers. For instance, a recent metaphor analysis of discourse and pictures in news reports related to the COVID-19 pandemic provided readers with valuable insights into policy inclinations. Generally, the metaphors used by the government in official news reports endeavor to activate historical and cultural memories (Zhang and Lin 2023), thereby constructing collectivism and fostering a positive national identity (Fu 2024).

Metaphorical studies related to elders are mainly restricted to the field of cognition, exploring elders’ ability of metaphor comprehension and production (Gregory and Waggoner 1996; Switzer et al. 2006). In recent years, the burgeoning field of gerolinguistics has laid a robust foundation to examine the interplay between elders’ capacity for metaphor recognition and production and the trajectory of cognitive decline. For example, based on linguistic models of metaphor processing, Yang and Huang (2023) find a positive correlation between cognitive ability and metaphor processing by exploring the ability of Chinese elders with mild cognitive impairment to access metaphorical meaning. However, there has been little analysis of the utilization of metaphors in news reports related to elders, though it serves as a catalyst for recognizing and bettering elders’ living conditions in the digital era.

This study focuses on elder-related news reports, aiming to offer a glimpse into the living conditions of seniors. The selected reports on elders are sourced from the Economic Daily, a prominent state media source in China. To this end, a metaphorical analysis will be conducted by employing the framework of rhetorical criticism. Proportions, features, and hidden motives of metaphors utilized by journalists will be displayed through which a panorama of elders’ living conditions, especially within the context of the digital economy, can be elucidated.

Theoretical framework

Critical metaphor analysis and rhetorical criticism

Charteris-Black (2004) constructs three layers of critical metaphor analysis (CMA): (1) metaphor identification; (2) metaphor interpretation; and (3) metaphor explanation. Charteris-Black (2004) proposes that identifying possible metaphors in a corpus is the first step of CMA. Metaphor interpretation refers to digging out the intrinsic relations between metaphors and their pragmatic factors. As the last step, metaphor explanation analyzes the role metaphors play in social context and explains how metaphors persuade the audience from the social dimension.

Chilton (2005), however, points out the drawbacks of this framework by noting that it is overly dependent on critical discourse analysis (Fairclough 1995) and thus misses the link between discourse and human minds. O’Halloran (2003) also notes that anything to do with cognition at the interpretation stage has not received comprehensive scrutiny. However, by drawing on a wider range of theoretical sources in cognitive linguistics and cognitive science, new insights can be provided to address the issues. For instance, Hart (2011), based on evolutionary psychology, provides a biologically grounded rationale to elucidate a particular “strategy” within media discourse. His theoretical framework contributes to the advancement of CDA and even CMA.

With the progression of cognitive linguistics, there has been a growing interest in applying cognitive perspectives to discourse analysis, aiming to elucidate the mechanism of communication between discourse and human minds (van Dijk 1998). To date, significant progress has been made in this field. Xu (2023) employs CMA to examine the metaphors employed in Chinese and English texts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The individuals’ shared and divergent perceptions are explored and explained.

By examining the connections between rhetoric and metaphor analysis, Charteris-Black (2011) offers a new lens for exploring the role rhetoric plays in metaphorical discourse. In this regard, rhetoric, with its inherent complexities, often mystifies and poses challenges for our understanding of the world. Moreover, metaphors can highlight or conceal certain ideas or experiences (Evans 2015), inducing complexity in readers’ comprehension. However, rhetorical criticism, being straightforward and succinct, may help demystify rhetoric (Li and Zhu, 2021; Simons 2004). Therefore, incorporating rhetorical criticism can enrich and enhance the framework of CMA. Integrating rhetorical criticism with CMA facilitates the decoding of discursive constructions and of power dynamics within rhetorical discourse (Tian et al. 2021), aligning with the goal of CMA—to reveal the intentions of language users (Charteris-Black 2004).

Therefore, this study employs rhetorical criticism as a vehicle for demystifying metaphors. Rhetorical criticism is often conducted using four steps (Campbell and Burkholder 1997), including description, analysis, explanation, and evaluation. Retracing previous studies, however, we find that the steps of description and analysis significantly overlap, with the potential to be further integrated. Hence, the procedure can be simplified, reducing four steps to three steps: description, explanation, and evaluation.

Integrating the simplified steps of rhetorical criticism with Charteris-Black’s (2004) critical metaphor analysis produces a critical model of metaphor analysis. Metaphor description, underpinning the following steps, is the first step of metaphor analysis due to its inclusion of both metaphor identification and metaphor classification. This step manifests the addition of metaphor classification, thereby furnishing clear and comprehensive data in preparation for the second and third steps. Both metaphor interpretation and explanation in Charteris-Black’s model can disclose the motives concealed behind metaphor choices, thus being integrated into the second step—metaphor explanation. Therefore, the step of metaphor explanation is to explore the rhetorical motives in consideration of pragmatic factors and the social context pertaining to these metaphors. Thus, this step, by simplifying and synthesizing the steps of CMA, provides insights into the relationship among language, thoughts, and social context. Specifically, inspired by rhetorical criticism, metaphor explanation considers both contextual nuances and broad social context to present rhetorical motives effectively. To fill the void of Charteris-Black’s model, metaphor evaluation will be added as the third step, based on the former two steps, to evaluate metaphors. This step serves as a complement to CMA, assessing whether metaphors achieve the author’s rhetorical motives unearthed in the second step. In essence, integrating rhetorical criticism into metaphor analysis is the simplification and supplement of CMA, facilitating not only a better understanding of the author’s intentions but also a reasonable evaluation of the appropriateness and effectiveness of metaphors.

The steps of metaphor evaluation in this study are inspired by the criteria of rhetorical criticism, including artistic, truth, ethical, and effects criteria (Campbell and Burkholder 1997). The artistic criterion pertains to the assessment of metaphors in terms of their potential to enhance the rhetorical effect of language, the truth criterion involves determining whether metaphors can reflect realities, and the ethical criterion is to testify whether the values upheld by the rhetor align with the prevailing norms and values of society. As to the effects criterion, it refers to the extent to which metaphors achieve their goals. We eliminate the effects criterion in this study because it does not fall within the scope of a study centering on one’s subjectivity. Notably, in the same sentence, different conceptual metaphors own a common implication (Lakoff and Johnson 1980), which determines the coherence among metaphors. Thus, the criterion of textuality will also be included. Metaphor evaluation in this study will adhere to artistic, truth, ethical, and textuality criteria.

This study will be positioned in the framework of rhetorical criticism to address the drawbacks of CMA and will follow the steps of metaphor description, metaphor explanation, and metaphor evaluation. The framework we adopted in this study is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1: The rhetorical metaphor analyzing structure is based on Charteris-Black’ s (2004) CMA model and rhetorical criticism framework by Campbell and Burkholder (1997).
figure 1

The refined model is utilized in this study. The blue rectangles represent steps of conducting metaphor analysis, with solid arrows indicating the sequence. Two steps of metaphor description are denoted by the orange ellipses, with an arrow showing the order. The two red ellipses are attached to metaphor explanation by the double arrows, explaining the main factors considered in this step. The criteria of metaphor evaluation are represented by the orange ellipses.

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Aim of the study

In order to conduct a comprehensive study of metaphors in collected news reports and to display a systematic exploration of Chinese elders’ living condition, this study will address the following research questions:

  1. i.

    What metaphors exist and what features do they represent in the elder-related texts of a Chinese economic newspaper?

  2. ii.

    What are the rhetorical motives behind the main metaphors, and how do the main metaphors meet or fail to meet the four criteria in the elder-related texts of a Chinese economic newspaper?

  3. iii.

    What living conditions of elders are reflected through the use of metaphors in the elder-related texts of a Chinese economic newspaper?

Method

Data

News reports in the Economic Daily published between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2022, were collected in the APP of the newspaper, with “老年” (senile phase), “老人” (seniors), “老龄化” (aging), and “银发” (silver-haired) as the search keywords. The four selected keywords exhibit specificity. “老年” (senile phase) and “老人” (seniors) focus on the groups of elders, while “老龄化” (aging) leans more toward policy tracking and background description. “银发” (silver-haired) targets both elders and reports related to the silver economy. Thus, the four keywords ensure the comprehensiveness of the data. A dataset of newspaper texts was thus built. The choice of the year 2016 as the starting point for data collection was driven by its significance as the commencement of China’s 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016–2020), a strategic period for China’s aging agenda and its pension-system construction. Likewise, the year 2022 was chosen to ensure the completeness of annual data. Therefore, an analysis of media coverage of elders from 2016 to 2022 highlights the living conditions of seniors, thus devising strategies to address conditions that plague elders in particular.

The selected news portal is particularly important due to its rich history, broad readership, and significant credibility. Founded in 1983, the Economic Daily is known for its wide audience and authority. Aligning with reforms and evolving alongside the rise of the internet, it has transformed into a multimedia platform. Its readership now extends to both domestic and international audiences interested in the Chinese economy. Therefore, it attracts a broad audience, being named in the top-100 circulation list by China Post in 2021. Furthermore, since 2019, public feedback in the Economic Daily has emerged as a potential catalyst for policy advancements.

Moreover, as a national comprehensive newspaper with a focus on economic reporting, the Economic Daily gives a detailed portrait of elders’ living conditions in the digital era. A total of 358 reports about Chinese elders were retrieved. The texts could be grouped into or excluded from the dataset only with the consent of both of the authors. After eliminating the texts containing less than 100 Chinese characters, advertisements, and duplicate articles, we found a total number of 309 reports with 320,465 tokens (excluding punctuation marks). Due to the considerable volume of data, the authors collaborated in both collecting and screening the corpus, enhancing the efficacy of data processing. In addition, this study benefited from the assistance of WordSmith8.0, expediting the step of metaphor description.

Methods

The remaining 309 texts were manually annotated, and a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the metaphors in the elder-related dataset was conducted with the aid of WordSmith8.0. In the first step—metaphor description—metaphors were identified and classified. We first read half of the news to identify metaphor candidates, which were put into the WordSmith8.0’s Concord to examine all the concordance (the span of context words was set with five words left and five words right, respectively). Conceptual metaphor involves a conceptual mapping between the source and target domains (Lakoff and Johnson 1980). Thus, metaphor candidates were selected if an analogy existed between the source and target domains and, at the same time, they belonged to different conceptual domains.

With reference to the Master Metaphor List by Lakoff and his colleagues (Lakoff et al. 1991) and the classification of source domains and target domains by Kӧvecses (2010), we classified the identified metaphors according to the literal meanings of the source concepts. For example, we classified “鸿沟” (chasm) into metaphor of chasm. Notably, Chinese characters with the potential to be classified into multiple metaphor varieties were categorized according to their context. For example, the expressions “赢” (win) and “赢家” (winner) were included in metaphor of war instead of metaphor of play and game because of their association with war expressions in the context. All the metaphors were identified and classified with the consent of the two authors. Based on that, type frequency, token frequency, and the resonance of each metaphor variety were calculated. Type frequency counts different linguistic forms, and token frequency records the cumulative frequency of the forms. With these two indices, the concept of resonance was elicited, showing the productivity of source domains. In the second step—metaphor explanation—we explored the rhetorical motives behind the choice of metaphors, taking the rhetorical context in which they appeared into consideration. The last step—metaphor evaluation—was conducted according to artistic, truth, ethical, and textuality criteria.

Results and analysis

Results

As Table 1 demonstrates, 1671 types and 3978 tokens of metaphors were collected and classified into over 15 source domains. Grounded in these source domains, the resonance of each metaphor was calculated to compare the fertility of different source domains (see Table 2). The density of metaphor tokens approached 0.0124, indicating that about 12 metaphors occurred in every 1000 characters and that the texts in the Economic Daily prefer various metaphorical expressions.

Table 1 The distribution of metaphor varieties in the elder-related dataset.
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Table 2 The resonance of metaphor varieties in the elder-related dataset.
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In terms of resonance in Table 2, we found that the three leading metaphor varieties in the Economic Daily were metaphor of net (37.78%), metaphor of building (22.01%), and metaphor of chasm (18.45%). This ranking is in accordance with that of token frequency, which exerts an effect on the level of lexical strength and of availability in memory of an item (Thomas 2021).

Knowles and Moon (2004) believe that metaphors—the use of language to refer to something other what it was originally applied to—allow writers to present meaning in a more open-ended fashion, and they likewise allow readers to extract less narrow interpretations (Huber and Aichberger 2020). Analysis of metaphors may reveal journalists’ intentions and the potential effects on readers. A critical study, therefore, will be conducted, focusing on the three major metaphors.

Textual analysis of major metaphors

The journalists’ metaphor preferences are intricately intertwined with the policy and socio-cultural context in China. Within the context of aging, the policies addressing aging undergo continuous evolution (Wang and Zhan 2021). Furthermore, influenced by Chinese traditional culture, particularly Confucianism, a robust societal ethos of venerating elders is pervasive. According to Confucianism, elders should be treated with reverence and gratitude (Sung 2001). Consequently, the metaphor of net, which prioritizes the protection of elders, assumes preeminence.

Concurrently, polices concerning the silver economy such as the Opinions on Developing the Silver Economy to Enhance the Well-being of the Elderly, issued by the State Council in January, 2024, precipitate the frequent emergence of the metaphor of building. Despite the remarkable fruits achieved by China’s aging policies, formidable challenges persist in establishing a comprehensive framework to address aging-related concerns (Wang and Zhan 2021). Moreover, elders encounter a multifaceted “chasm.” For instance, negative emotions, including social disconnection and a sense of diminished self-worth among the elderly are prevalent, partly due to a betrayal of “Chinese cultural values such as elder respect” (Liu and Hu 2021). Hence, the metaphor of chasm is preferred. This section, mainly focusing on the three major metaphors, conducts an in-depth analysis with the aid of the restructured metaphor-analysis framework.

Metaphor of net

This metaphor holds the largest proportion among all the metaphor varieties, and comparatively, a more detailed and specific analysis will be performed to delve into its implications and nuances. See the following example:

  1. (1)

    ……..共同为老年人密织安全网络 (An Quan Wang Luo), 使老年人时刻享受到高科技带来的安全保障。

(We need to) work together to weave a safety network closely for elders, enabling elders to enjoy the security shield brought by high technology.

(Economic Daily 12/18/2017)

In example (1), protection for seniors is similar to the “safety net” woven by government for elders, which meets the first requirement of metaphor identification—an analogy between the source and target domains. Furthermore, the source domain—“safety net” and the target domain—“protections for elders”—belong to different domains, fulfilling the second requirement of metaphor identification—the source and target domains are different conceptual domains. Here, the shield built by the government for the seniors with the aid of technology is compared to a net, which is known as the metaphor of net. In 2017, the State Council of China set up a plan for the construction of a smart and healthy industry for elders (Hung 2023). As the starting point of this plan, the year 2017 witnessed the government’s efforts to take steps to build a better society for elders in the digital economy. This metaphor chosen by the journalist shows both the government’s determination and the journalist’s hope in benefiting elders from technology. In particular, the public pin their hopes on rapidly developed technology, exemplified by innovative undertakings like the Skynet Project—China’s surveillance program designed to enhance public security and to locate lost seniors. This metaphor thus expresses the journalist’s expectation that high-tech systems will deliver security for elders.

This metaphor of net meets the artistic criterion by referring to the protection and policies issued by the government to a common net, which enhances the readability of the texts and further arouses a sense of assurance among elders. A truthful reflection of society has also been achieved with this metaphor. Technologies featuring IOT (the Internet of Things,) big data, and mobile internet, due to their innate advantages, including comprehensiveness, efficiency, and accuracy, harbor the potential to serve as a catalyst to facilitate the convenience and advancement of elders’ everyday life (Hu et al. 2020). Thus, the steps taken by the government to protect the security of elders align with the essence expressed by this metaphor. Moreover, this metaphor corresponds to the mainstream view that technology should be an impetus instead of a hindrance in the establishment of a protective net for elders, which means that the metaphor also satisfies the ethical criterion. What is more, “密织” (weave closely), “安全网” (safety net), and “安全保障” (the security shield) are interwoven together to form a metaphorical chain, making the text coherent. This metaphor thus follows the textuality criterion. In this context, the metaphor of net conveys dual implications for the audience. It first symbolizes that the policies to safeguard elders are practical and sustained and then implies a positive future of elders’ living conditions. The dual-layered expression compels readers to engage in a process of reading between the lines, thereby fostering readers’ deeper contemplation of the textual implications and arousing resonance with the audience. metaphor of net is thus chosen and favored by journalists in the Economic Daily.

Metaphor of building

This metaphor type is the second most frequent one in the dataset. It signifies that the silver economy, still in the process of construction, harbors both immense potential and inherent limitations. The silver economy refers to the economic activities, products, and services designed for elders. See the following example:

  1. (2)

    随着移动互联网技术持续迭代升级, 他们(老年群体) 的在线内容消费需求也相应增提升, 这将给相关行业积淀更丰厚的数字资产, 为市场潜力挖掘 (Shi Chang Qian Li Wa Jue) 提供更多参考价值。

With the continuous upgrading of the internet, their (seniors’) online consumption demands upgrade accordingly, which will accelerate the sediment of more digital assets for related industries and provide reference for marketing potential excavation.

(Economic Daily 7/30/2020)

In example (2), boosting the mushrooming of the silver economy is analogous to the process of construction excavation. Moreover, the metaphors draw on totally different domains—the market domain and the building domain. They thus satisfy the criterion of being a metaphor. The phrase “挖掘” (excavation) fosters a feeling that unleashing the power of elders’ consumption is laborious work. Why does the journalist use such a metaphor with negative meanings?

In China, the aging population is projected to reach 240 million in 2030 and 450 million in 2050 (Zeng et al. 2019). The expansion of the Chinese elder group has given rise to a huge consumption market, the flourishing of which may not only satiate elders’ consumption needs but also fuel the progression of industries. The silver economy, however, is still in its infancy, which cannot be ignored. For example, at present, the market is characterized by its singular and traditional style, unable to satiate the diverse demands of aging consumers. The inadequacy of age-friendly infrastructure in China (Chen et al. 2023) constitutes another block for further development of the silver economy. Therefore, the metaphors reveal the journalist’s rhetorical motives—highlighting the immense potential of the silver economy while acknowledging challenges in harnessing its power.

Mapping the unleashing of the potential of the silver economy onto the process of construction invites readers to contemplate the issue about the development of the silver economy, offering the audience an intelligible way to fathom this realm. The artistic criterion is thus satisfied. In concordance with social reality, this metaphor also fits the truth criterion because it reveals the situation that the silver economy is simultaneously confronted with both immense potential and formidable hurdles. The mapping from marketing development onto the process of construction, widely employed and in accordance with the mainstream view, meets the ethical criterion. What is more, “积淀更丰厚的数字资产” (accelerate the sediment of more digital assets) lays the textual foundation for “市场潜力挖掘” (marketing potential excavation) in the following context, creating coherence and logic of the text and thus meeting the textuality criterion.

Reaching those criteria, this metaphor serves as a conduit to provide readers with the notion that the silver economy contains the promise of greater prosperity in the future once the obstacles are effectively tackled. Therefore, in essence, the utilization of this metaphor leaves the audience with an impression of both the promising future of the silver economy and the difficulties inherent in its advancement. Structurally, the formation of this metaphorical chain ensures fluidity in reading, enhancing the overall reading experience. Consequently, its application, by enriching the reader’s comprehension and thus offering a better reading experience, fosters resonance with the audience.

Metaphor of chasm

This metaphor type ranks after the metaphor of building, accounting for 18.45% in the dataset. metaphor of chasm exhibits barriers and inconvenience, especially in the context of digital economic life faced by elders. See the following example:

  1. (3)

    部分手机应用软件以“老年关怀模式”为名……让不少老年人陷入删不完的“流氓”软件和广告海洋之中。……本是为了帮助老年群体融入数字社会、跨越信息鸿沟 (Xin Xi Hong Gou) 。

Recently, some mobile apps (applications) in the name of “model designed for elders” have caused many elders to be stuck with endless “rogue software” and an ocean of advertising… while these apps were meant to assist the seniors to integrate into the digital society and bridge the information chasm.

(Economic Daily 4/1/2022)

In example (3), the disconnection between elders and digital technology is similar to a chasm. The “信息鸿沟” (the information chasm) and disconnection also belong to different domains. Therefore, this metaphor type meets the requirements of being a metaphor. In this example, “鸿沟” (chasm) in Chinese means a gigantic gap, implicating a dreadful feeling to readers. Why does the journalist attempt to convey this feeling to the audience?

The 21st century marks a milestone in the transition of human society into the fourth industrial revolution, characterized by emerging technologies as an engineer for digital transformation. The rapid penetration of those technologies into social life has undoubtedly brought convenience but meanwhile imposed burdens, especially on elders. Compounding the issue are formidable challenges, including financial abuse of elders (Zhang et al. 2023), fraud online, and digital poverty of elders. Distressingly, these burdens become a huge weight on their shoulders. Against this background, elders are inclined to be reluctant to embrace new technologies, leading to their digital poverty. However, access to digital information is significant for elders because Chinese elders who are digitally literate are more inclined to stay in the labor market and to earn income for their households (Zhang and Nedospasova, 2022). Thus, it is urgent to integrate elders into the digital economy. In light of these circumstances, it is reasonable for journalists to use this metaphor as a means to illuminate the magnitude of struggles of elders plagued by those obstacles.

The metaphor of chasm serves as a vivid depiction of the ubiquitous inconvenience encountered by elders, thus arousing readers’ interest and guiding them to contemplate the situation of seniors in this digital age. Accordingly, the metaphor improves the rhetorical effect and meets the artistic criterion. Moreover, in real life, most seniors lag behind in adapting to the digital era, often confronted with isolation. This metaphor hence meets the truth criterion. Furthermore, by utilizing this metaphor, the journalist portraits the vulnerability of elders, providing the audience with the feeling that efforts made by elders themselves are enough to cross the “鸿沟” (chasm). Hence, the journalist endeavors to evoke readers’ empathy and to bridge the gap for elders, which aligns with Chinese traditional virtues. Therefore, the ethical criterion is also satisfied. Moreover, “ ‘流氓’软件” (“rogue” software) and “广告海洋” (advertising ocean) illustrate the normal situation that countless elders may stumble upon, echoing with the existence of “数字鸿沟” (digital chasm) behind them. As a result, the textuality criterion is also reached. Furthermore, the connotations of “流氓” (rogue) and “海洋” (ocean) are widely recognized by readers. The metaphorical chain, composed of metaphors familiar to the audience, aligns with the negative connotations associated with “鸿沟,” enabling readers to better empathize with the difficulties encountered by elders. Consequently, the utilization of the metaphor fosters resonance with the audience and evokes its empathy toward elders.

Other metaphor varieties

As demonstrated by Tables 1 and 2, metaphors in the Economic Daily are large both in number and variety. Metaphorical chains composed by different metaphor varieties are especially preferred by the Economic Daily. Thus, example (4) is chosen due to its inclusion of diverse metaphor varieties, a brief analysis of which portrays the harassment faced by elders in the digital economy.

  1. (4)

    部分手机应用软件以“老年关怀模式”为名, 打起“精准营销”的算盘 (Da Qi Jing Zhun Ying Xiao De Suan Pan), 让不少老年人陷入删不完的“流氓”软件 (Liu Mang Ruan Jian) 和广告海洋 (Guang Gao Hai Yang) 之中……这些连年轻人都难以闪避的“套路”, 如今却像“数字牛皮癣” (Shu Zi Niu Pi Xuan) 一样黏在老年人的指尖。

Some mobile apps (applications) in the name of “model designed for elders” play the calculus of “accurate marketing,” causing many elders to be stuck with endless “rogue software” and an ocean of advertising …. The “swindle,” which can hardly be avoided by the young group, sticks to the fingertips of elders like “digital psoriasis.”

(Economic Daily 4/1/2022)

In example (4), the inconvenience brought by digital technologies is similar to a disease, both in being persistent and tortuous. Meanwhile, in consideration of the large amount, there is a strong likeness between endless advertisements and the vast ocean. Moreover, the domains of “数字牛皮癣” (digital psoriasis) and “广告海洋” are different from that of elders’ inconvenience respectively. Therefore, these two metaphor varieties meet the requirements of being a metaphor. Likewise, the “流氓软件” (rogue software) and “打起‘精准营销’的算盘” (play the calculus of “accurate marketing”) correspond to the unscrupulous merchants who prioritize financial gain without regard to moral considerations. Hence, the two expressions share a similarity with unethical business operators. They also belong to distinct domains. Correspondingly, they fulfill the criterion of being a metaphor.

In the digital age, driven by profit motives, the proliferation of unethical apps has inundated elders with unnecessary information, inducing challenges for elders in search of valuable information and even exposing them to harmful content and online fraud. It exacerbates the burden borne by elders, especially by those who are already grappling with digital illiteracy. Against this backdrop, the journalist employs diverse metaphor varieties like metaphor of treasure and money and metaphor of disease to illustrate both the unethical business operators and thorns suffered by elders who attempt to touch new technology. The journalist employs metaphors—“流氓软件” (rogue software), “广告海洋” (advertising ocean), and “数字牛皮癣” (digital psoriasis) —to make the language intelligible and expressive so that the audience is receptive to the living conditions of elders, and thus to further evoke readers’ empathy for them. Therefore, the artistic criterion is achieved. Likewise, the journalist’s critical tone toward the unscrupulous mobile application aligns with the ethical criterion. Furthermore, by utilizing the metaphors, the journalist depicts the reality that the obstacles prevent elders from enjoying the benefits of the digital economy. Accordingly, the truth criterion is also met. Moreover, multiple metaphor varieties are used though, strong links and coherence exist among them, enabling the textuality criterion to be satisfied.

Features of major metaphors

Being the most common metaphor variety in the elder-related dataset, the metaphor of net is a focal point in shaping the overall characteristics and writing style of the elder-related texts in the Economic Daily. The metaphor of net is characterized, normally, as protection, close connection, and sometimes coherence (Le Cor 2010). For instance, by employing the metaphor of net, Kim (2020) emphasizes the significance of constructing legal networks in stabilizing people’s livelihood. In a similar vein, this metaphor functions as providing safety and protection for elders in the digital age. Multiple elderly groups are left behind in the digital age. While 83 percent of middle-aged and elderly Chinese respondents use mobile phones, only 6.5 percent of them have access to the internet (Hong et al. 2017). The metaphor of net connotes two implications—elders’ vulnerability and the need to protect their well-being. It is reasonable that the accelerated arrival of the aging society requires a fine-woven “net” to provide a shield for elders. By doing that, elders may spend a fulfilling time in their old age, and a harmonious social atmosphere may be further created. Therefore, the metaphor of net constitutes a substantial proportion in the elder-related texts in the Economic Daily, displaying the government’s commitment to enhancing elders’ living security and the journalist’s attempt to mobilize social forces to weave a robust net for them. However, the predominant focus of this metaphor targets mainly social forces without elders themselves instead of acknowledging elders’ agency and their intrinsic motivation. The journalist’s neglect of elders’ own power as endogenous motivation signifies the need to amplify elders’ voices and to recognize their role as the central component in building their own defensive line within the safety net.

Ranking second among all the metaphor varieties is the metaphor of building. Building metaphors are employed more frequently in the discourse of project management than in the discourse of general business (Skorczynska 2012). In the realm of project-management discourse, Skorczynska (2015) has conducted a case study of building and animal metaphors to discuss how metaphor-based theoretical claims are reflected and their consequences for management practices. An analysis of the metaphor of building in business reports hence may offer great value for the interpretation of news discourse. The metaphor of building is commonly employed to describe the developmental process of a certain endeavor. For instance, Papageorgiou and her colleagues (2023) use the metaphor of “building bridges” to describe their co-production process to further generate key principles of co-production. Similarly, this metaphor utilized by the Economic Daily endeavors to demonstrate both the potential and obstacles in the process of constructing elder-related industries. Despite often being identified as a disadvantaged group in the realm of the digital economy, elders play a significant role in the expansion of the silver economy, which is specially designed for the consumption of elders. The journalist’s use of this metaphor first conveys the information that the silver economy contributes not only to the changes of demographic structure but also to the improvement of people’s livelihoods, thus promoting economic transformation. However, the journalist also acknowledges the deficiency of the silver economy such as financial fraud. Based on that, expectations to perfect the market are expressed by the journalist, who emphasizes that if the full potential of the silver economy can be discovered, there will be possibilities for elder-related industries to grow to provide new momentum for the Chinese economy.

The metaphor of chasm distributes ubiquitously in various sectors, including technology and business. It often symbolizes mismatching and a gap. For example, Cho et al. (2009) use a chasm metaphor to describe the problematic gap that occurs between the initial invention and the prototype of a tele-health innovation. Moore (1999) proposes that a chasm exists in the diffusion process of a new technology. Specifically, the metaphor can be employed to depict the imbalance between demand and supply. For instance, the Legal Services Corporation in the US uses the metaphor of chasm to describe the shortfall between legal needs and legal services (Sandman 2019). In a similar vein, in the context of the Economic Daily, this metaphor, as the third major metaphor, focuses largely on the gap, including barriers and frauds, that bothers elders. Digital technology is expected to undertake the mission of improving seniors’ living conditions. However, elders, especially those residing in rural areas, are stuck because of their basic digital illiteracy. Even with digital guidance by family members, the effect of digital literacy remains moderate (Zhang 2022). Myriad elders even encounter financial fraud, further exacerbating the insurmountable information gap with which they are confronted. Hence, this metaphor underscores the disparity between the protective capacities inherent in technology and elders’ demand for the technology. This metaphor utilized in the Economic Daily demonstrates the situation of elders with the explicit intention of putting elders’ struggle in the limelight to attract the attention of the public and the government.

Discussion

Metaphor is not barely a tool to modify language but a cognitive tool with which to view the world. Context plays a significant role in the production and comprehension of metaphor (Schmid 2012). In the dataset, the metaphor of net is deemed to describe protection to elders. The metaphor of building displays the vast potential of and the “chasm” contained in the silver economy, which also needs the protection of a “net.” The metaphor of chasm portrays the gap with which the seniors are confronted, bringing them inconveniences and even hardships. Thus, “chasm” and “net” can be extracted to reflect, respectively, elders’ predicament and protections toward them.

“Chasm” is a mirror reflecting the situation of most elders in the digital economy. First, elders characterized by digital poverty are unable to use intellectual products such as E-payment. However, China is characterized by the large scale and ubiquity of E-payment, which means that elders with digital illiteracy cannot live a convenient and normal life. Notably, the inclusion of elders in the digital era may positively impact their social and economic welfare (Ramón-Jerónimo et al. 2013). Moreover, for elders, the frequent utilization of digital devices can potentially lead to cognitive stimulation because those devices can slow down their rate of cognitive decline (Jin et al. 2019). Therefore, it is urgent to assist elders to engage in the digital era. Second, the silver economy, in its infancy in China, is still marked by a weakness that cannot be ignored. Paradoxically, elders are often silenced and marginalized in the silver economy. Worse still, the booming silver economy inadvertently conceals an underbelly of an underground economy, exemplified by financial fraud as an instance. Third, the rise in the number of elders also brings burdens to institutions, including the healthcare system in China, which in turn induces inconvenience for elders. Hence, to ensure elders’ well-being and to map them onto the landscape of the silver economy, it is imperative to narrow and bridge the growing chasm between elders and digital technology, which calls for the implementation of a protective safety net.

Eliminating the obstacles emerging in both real and digital life encourages elders to better integrate into the digital economy. Only when smart gadgets are user friendly and safe will elders be willing to use such technologies (Hu et al. 2020). The substantial prevalence of the metaphor of net has proven that a safety net for elders has been woven by the government and hopefully by other social forces. However, a chasm still exists. Notably, if the perceptions and expectations generated by the safety-net metaphor fail to be met, frustration and dissatisfaction will be spawned (Baruch 2010). Thus, the actions of constructing the robust safety net in an endeavor to better elders’ living conditions should be refined. Vital components of this endeavor include market regulation for the silver economy, age-friendly digital design, and the diffusion of digital literacy among elders. Moreover, the building of the safety net can no longer ignore the agency and influence of elders. It is necessary to fulfill the role of elders as the subjectivity in this economy, which requires challenging and breaking the prevailing stereotype that elders are insignificant in the digital economy. Respecting and amplifying their voices are crucial steps toward achieving this objective.

Chasm and net encapsulate the living conditions of Chinese elders in the digital economy. Chasm crystallizes the hindrances encountered by both elders and the silver economy. Correspondingly, a net is the answer to contending with chasm. However, as shown in Table 2, compared to metaphor of chasm, metaphor of net exhibits a significantly higher resonance, suggesting a potential lack of attention by the Economic Daily toward the difficulties faced by elders. Furthermore, the present safety net requires refinement on account of its inherent flaws, notably a disregard for elders’ subjectivity.

It is notable that interconnections exist among the three primary metaphors, which is evident in their frequent combination to form metaphorical chains. For instance, in a report dated November 27, 2020, the phrase “构建起解决老年人‘数字鸿沟’问题的长效机制” (building a durable mechanism to address the “digital chasm” faced by elders) exemplifies a metaphorical chain, with “构建” (building) representing the metaphor of building and “数字鸿沟” (digital chasm) representing the metaphor of chasm. Likewise, in a report dated October 1, 2022, the phrase “搭建了‘1 + 17 + N’的老年健康服务网络” (building the “1 + 17 + N” health service net for elders) uses “搭建” (building) and “网络” (net) to form a metaphorical chain composed by the metaphor of building and the metaphor of net. The correlations suggest that the metaphor of building can act as a bridge, addressing the metaphor of chasm to facilitate the establishment of the metaphor of net.

In addition, in a report dated October 15, 2020, the journalist states that “从……多层次养老服务体系入手…… ‘中国式’养老的四梁八柱日渐成型” (beginning from …. a multi-tiered elderly care service system, the ‘Chinese-style’ elderly care’s four pillars and eight beams are gradually taking shape). The phrase “四梁八柱” (four pillars and eight beams) is derived from a traditional architectural structure in ancient China, representing the fundamental structural elements of the building. Therefore, as a metaphor of building, it underscores stability and robustness. Consequently, the application of the metaphorical chain elucidates that metaphor of net, embodied by the phrase “多层次养老服务体系” (multi-tiered elderly care service system), can promote the form of the metaphor of building to deliver a stable and dependable framework. Thus, apparently, rather than stand alone, the three primary metaphors exhibit intrinsic associations.

Conclusion

This study concentrates on three major metaphors in Chinese elder-related texts, among which the keywords “chasm” and “net” are generalized, aiming to offer a glimpse of a recent representation of the situation of elders portrayed in the Economic Daily, a Chinese state media source.

This study represents a panorama of Chinese elders’ living conditions, pointing to a prerequisite to help them maintain social engagement and manage loneliness (Bailey et al. 2021). Admittedly, media reports cannot fully disclose “reality,” which is far more intricate and complex (Zhang and Li 2022), and it has been found that the Economic Daily focuses more on the construction of the net, potentially overlooking the chasm and difficulties faced by elders. This study proves, however, that both a blessing and a curse coexist for elders in the era of the digital economy. The chasm confronted by elders calls for the safeguard of a net. Moreover, this study finds that the role of elders as the subjectivity in the digital economy is often overlooked. Therefore, while such protective yet marginalizing descriptions of elders may prompt the government to introduce policies aimed at improving the living conditions of elders, the descriptions also run the risk of rendering elders easily overlooked, impeding their demands from being addressed or even expressed adequately. Moreover, excessive portrayals of frailty may potentially undermine elders’ dignity, thus inducing another chasm in their lives. Hence, this study calls for an inclusive understanding of Chinese elders in the digital era, considering both their inconvenience and the potential to spur the economy. The possible refinement for the construction of the protective net is also discussed.

The findings have provided a detailed depiction of elders in the Economic Daily. However, several limitations still exist. First, the study centers on a narrow period of time, 2016 to 2022, which fails to deliver a diachronic study on the changing situation of elders in China. This leads to the second limitation—the news articles involved in this study were selected from the Economic Daily. Although it is considered authoritative and has a large audience base, the media’s reputation alone is not sufficient (Hart 2011). On the one hand, news reports can reflect social realities, but disparities between portrayal and actuality persist. On the other hand, as an aim of state media, the Economic Daily reinforces mainstream narratives, potentially overlooking a more nuanced understanding of elders. Inclusion of diversified Chinese news portals and a broader perspective in data collection may portray a more encompassing and objective picture of elders. Greater efforts are suggested to expand elder-related data by including a wider range of time periods and sources for news articles.

Furthermore, a full discussion of metaphors in elder-related texts and a comparative analysis between the metaphors in the Economic Daily and those of other media outlets lie beyond the scope of the study. Accordingly, we recommend that future studies focus on exploring more comprehensive and effective metaphor analysis to provide detailed descriptions of living conditions for elders in China. A comparative analysis of metaphors related to elders across various media outlets, both within China and in international contexts, is also recommended. Moreover, while the three major metaphors examined in this study provide a comprehensive portrayal of elders’ living conditions within the Economic Daily in China, they fall short in capturing the unique contextual nuances of aging and of elders. Thus, future research endeavors should focus more on exploring metaphors uniquely tailored to aging and elders.

Finally, an exploration of the practical implications of these metaphors on elders, including their proclivity toward social engagement, exceeds the scope of this study. As Bai (2016) notes, elders’ participation in societies should be respected in the context of modernization. Therefore, future research is encouraged to build upon our theoretical findings to further explore the metaphors’ potential effects on elders’ self-awareness and social participation, which may contribute effectively to enhancing elders’ living conditions.