Blog Discourses of and About Middle-Aged Unemployed Spaniards

Abstract

Those unemployed and over 45 years of age represent a social group that is suffering with special intensity in the current Spanish economic crisis. It is silenced by the mass media. This social invisibility reduces their chances of reintegration into the labor market and it damages their self-image. Blogs, as personal websites on a specific topic, can be an alternative for a presence in an information society. The purpose of the work reported in this article is to understand the situation of these people through texts generated on blogs devoted to employment and training. Linguistic and critical discourse analyses are used for this purpose. Twelve blogs that have special relevance, are discussed. These blogs contain relevant information to help us understand and to visualize this group and its problematic. The results reveal the main themes that make the discourse, and its main orientations and contents (personal experiences, reflection, vocational, and professional guidance). We conclude that the actual joblessness and the invisibility of these individuals are affecting their lives, family, financial security, and identity. They claim the need for employment in order to maintain their identities as citizens.

URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1503266