Imaginaries of Dying: The Visual Rhetoric of Stock Images Tagged with "Palliative Care".
Saved in:
| Title: | Imaginaries of Dying: The Visual Rhetoric of Stock Images Tagged with "Palliative Care". |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Metzger, Gaudenz Urs1 gaudenz.metzger@zhdk.ch, Braun, Tina2 tina.braun@hkb.bfh.ch |
| Source: | Omega: Journal of Death & Dying. Nov2025, Vol. 92 Issue 1, p395-411. 17p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Online library catalogs, *Fear, *Communication, *Imagination, *Grief, Attitudes toward death, Palliative treatment, Research funding, Photography, Uncertainty, Loneliness, Grief therapy, Grounded theory, Terminal care |
| Abstract: | In digital culture and its global economy, images circulate transnationally and shape cultural ideas about social and existential issues. While there is growing interest in death online, few studies have investigated the role of visual material in different forms of communication in this field. In this article, we examine the depiction of dying and death in stock photographs tagged with "palliative care" drawing on an image corpus of 618 photographs. Stock photographs are images produced for commercial purposes that are stored in databases by agencies on the Internet. To analyze how these representations depict fictional palliative care settings, we used visual grounded theory. The findings show that typical caregivers are portrayed as emphatic individuals, while patients appear as composed human beings facing death without fear. We argue that the images represent aspects of the modern hospice philosophy and the cultural narrative of healthy aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Omega: Journal of Death & Dying is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Education Research Complete |
|
Full text is not displayed to guests.
Login for full access.
|
|
| Abstract: | In digital culture and its global economy, images circulate transnationally and shape cultural ideas about social and existential issues. While there is growing interest in death online, few studies have investigated the role of visual material in different forms of communication in this field. In this article, we examine the depiction of dying and death in stock photographs tagged with "palliative care" drawing on an image corpus of 618 photographs. Stock photographs are images produced for commercial purposes that are stored in databases by agencies on the Internet. To analyze how these representations depict fictional palliative care settings, we used visual grounded theory. The findings show that typical caregivers are portrayed as emphatic individuals, while patients appear as composed human beings facing death without fear. We argue that the images represent aspects of the modern hospice philosophy and the cultural narrative of healthy aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 00302228 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/00302228231184296 |
