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Disrupting discourses of age? Exploring the identity work of older digital technology sector professionals

Christine Shukis-Brown, Katrina Pritchard Orcid Logo

Management Learning

Swansea University Author: Katrina Pritchard Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1177/13505076251413655

Abstract

The digital technology sector is often subject to reports of ageism. Given this context, our study examines how age is discursively negotiated within the identity work of older digital technology knowledge workers. Our discursive analysis demonstrates how our participants resist, reposition and reim...

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Published in: Management Learning
ISSN: 1350-5076 1461-7307
Published: SAGE Publications 2026
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71181
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spelling 2026-01-28T15:50:30.8724818 v2 71181 2025-12-31 Disrupting discourses of age? Exploring the identity work of older digital technology sector professionals a8b44bc7c6f2fa716a6b19916af6e3ff 0000-0003-1938-1272 Katrina Pritchard Katrina Pritchard true false 2025-12-31 CBAE The digital technology sector is often subject to reports of ageism. Given this context, our study examines how age is discursively negotiated within the identity work of older digital technology knowledge workers. Our discursive analysis demonstrates how our participants resist, reposition and reimagine their ageing identities in ways that disrupt common stereotypes about technology and age. We propose this is achieved through identity work that downplays established ideas of the digitally limited ageing subject by amplifying more complex and occupationally desired identities. This research adds nuance to understandings of age categorisations and the ageing knowledge worker, explicates socio-technological insights and explains how an ageing identity can be constructed within the digital technology sector. Journal Article Management Learning 0 SAGE Publications 1350-5076 1461-7307 Ageism, digital technology, discourse, identity threat, identity work 22 1 2026 2026-01-22 10.1177/13505076251413655 COLLEGE NANME Management School COLLEGE CODE CBAE Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) Swansea University 2026-01-28T15:50:30.8724818 2025-12-31T15:17:01.4928019 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Management - Business Management Christine Shukis-Brown 1 Katrina Pritchard 0000-0003-1938-1272 2 71181__36130__070b1ce0683a4c25912fdd5c4099b274.pdf 71181.VOR.pdf 2026-01-28T15:48:11.4599961 Output 189260 application/pdf Version of Record true © The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
title Disrupting discourses of age? Exploring the identity work of older digital technology sector professionals
spellingShingle Disrupting discourses of age? Exploring the identity work of older digital technology sector professionals
Katrina Pritchard
title_short Disrupting discourses of age? Exploring the identity work of older digital technology sector professionals
title_full Disrupting discourses of age? Exploring the identity work of older digital technology sector professionals
title_fullStr Disrupting discourses of age? Exploring the identity work of older digital technology sector professionals
title_full_unstemmed Disrupting discourses of age? Exploring the identity work of older digital technology sector professionals
title_sort Disrupting discourses of age? Exploring the identity work of older digital technology sector professionals
author_id_str_mv a8b44bc7c6f2fa716a6b19916af6e3ff
author_id_fullname_str_mv a8b44bc7c6f2fa716a6b19916af6e3ff_***_Katrina Pritchard
author Katrina Pritchard
author2 Christine Shukis-Brown
Katrina Pritchard
format Journal article
container_title Management Learning
container_volume 0
publishDate 2026
institution Swansea University
issn 1350-5076
1461-7307
doi_str_mv 10.1177/13505076251413655
publisher SAGE Publications
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Management - Business Management{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Management - Business Management
document_store_str 1
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description The digital technology sector is often subject to reports of ageism. Given this context, our study examines how age is discursively negotiated within the identity work of older digital technology knowledge workers. Our discursive analysis demonstrates how our participants resist, reposition and reimagine their ageing identities in ways that disrupt common stereotypes about technology and age. We propose this is achieved through identity work that downplays established ideas of the digitally limited ageing subject by amplifying more complex and occupationally desired identities. This research adds nuance to understandings of age categorisations and the ageing knowledge worker, explicates socio-technological insights and explains how an ageing identity can be constructed within the digital technology sector.
published_date 2026-01-22T05:34:39Z
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score 11.096068

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