▁public ▁accept ance ▁that ▁they ▁are ▁deser ving ▁of ▁prefer ential ▁treatment — for ▁example , ▁less ▁expensive ▁movie ▁and ▁bus ▁far es . ▁But ▁the ▁per ception ▁of ▁in comp et ence ▁means ▁older ▁and ▁younger ▁people ▁can ▁be ▁seen ▁as ▁" not ▁up ▁to ▁the ▁job " ▁or ▁" a ▁men ace ▁on ▁the ▁roads ," ▁when ▁there ▁is ▁little ▁or ▁ex agger ated ▁evidence ▁to ▁support ▁this . ▁ ▁Pre jud ice ▁also ▁leads ▁to ▁assumptions ▁that ▁it ▁is ▁" natural " ▁for ▁older ▁or ▁younger ▁people ▁to ▁have ▁lower ▁expect ations , ▁reduced ▁choice ▁and ▁control , ▁and ▁less ▁account ▁taken ▁of ▁their ▁views . ▁ ▁Digital ▁age ism ▁ ▁Digital ▁age ism ▁refers ▁to ▁the ▁pre jud ices ▁faced ▁by ▁older ▁adult s ▁in ▁the ▁digital ▁world . ▁A ▁few ▁examples ▁of ▁the ▁subt le ▁ways ▁in ▁which ▁digital ▁age ism ▁oper ates ▁in ▁cultural ▁representations , ▁research , ▁and ▁every day ▁life : ▁Gener ational ▁seg reg ation ▁natural izes ▁youth ▁as ▁digit ally ▁ade pt ▁and ▁the ▁old ▁as ▁digital ▁d un ces . ▁There ▁is ▁no ▁empir ical ▁evidence , ▁though , ▁for ▁a ▁digital ▁divide ▁between ▁older ▁and ▁younger ▁people , ▁with ▁the ▁former ▁never ▁and ▁the ▁latter ▁always ▁capable ▁to ▁use ▁digital ▁media ; ▁a ▁far ▁more ▁accurate ▁description ▁is ▁that ▁of ▁a ▁digital ▁spectrum . ▁The ▁reason ▁for ▁the ▁myth ▁of ▁decl ining ▁capabilities ▁of ▁older ▁people ▁could ▁be ▁that ▁many ▁cultural ▁representations ▁have ▁long ▁histor ies ▁reprodu cing ▁images ▁of ▁the