Abstract：Abstract: Current news media coverage of "older people" induces a diversification of the group images. Under the guidance of sociocognitive discourse analysis, integrated with "collective identity" construction theory and discursive strategies, Facilitated by NVivo, a qualitative analysis software, the present study attempts to analyze the discourse structures at micro-level, discursive strategies at meso-level and macro social context to investigate how "older people" identity is constructed differently through discourse structures and discursive strategies by newspapers and Weibo. The results suggest that: ①Newspapers and Weibo producers highlight the polarization ideology of older people by constructing different types of mental models; ②Newspapers and Weibo present different features on the discursive strategies and reporting frameworks of "older people". The positive narrative frameworks of "active participation", "dedication" and "old but still vigorous" are commonly used in newspapers, whilst the negative narrative frameworks of "old and poor", "the old showing misbehaviors"、"returning evil for good" in Weibo; ③More diversified identities of the elderly are created because of the unique characteristics of Weibo discourse; ④The unequal power relations between the older and the younger, the negative stereotypes conveyed by all kinds of medias are the two most prominent social factors which affect the conceptualization of "older people" identity construction.
Key words: critical discourse analysis; identity construction; discourse structure; discursive strategies; news media
