Considering the popularity of online platforms and their significant force in producing collective discourses, attitudes, and patterns of behaviours, this study critically examined the photographic portrayal of old Iranians on websites during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study focuses on this age group, which has been identified as the most vulnerable to the virus. Photographs of old people during COVID-19 are semiotic resources that enable researchers to excavate portrayals of ageing. Media portrayals of older adults gain resonance in ways they are constructed and societal effects that emerge through their widespread access. With an aim to contributing to the literature on visual social semiotic analysis, this study zoomed in on the portrayals of older Iranians on websites applying Kress and Van Leeuwen's visual grammar. The search for data, collected in the period of March to July 2020, yielded 39 results. The findings revealed that the portrayal of Iranian old people suffers from negative ageing stereotypes like ugliness, decline, and weakness. Notably, the analyzed photographs exhibited a higher degree of ageism towards old women than men.

考虑到在线平台的流行及其在产生集体话语、态度和行为模式方面的重要力量，本研究批判性地审视了 COVID-19 大流行期间网站上对老伊朗人的照片描绘。该研究的重点是这个年龄段，该年龄段已被确定为最容易感染该病毒。COVID-19 期间老年人的照片是符号学资源，使研究人员能够挖掘衰老的写照。媒体对老年人的描绘以他们的建构方式和通过广泛访问而产生的社会影响获得共鸣。为了对视觉社会符号学分析的文献做出贡献，本研究使用 Kress 和 Van Leeuwen 的视觉语法放大了网站上对年长伊朗人的描绘。资料搜寻，在 2020 年 3 月至 2020 年 7 月期间收集的数据，产生了 39 个结果。调查结果显示，对伊朗老年人的刻画存在丑陋、衰退和虚弱等负面老化刻板印象。值得注意的是，经过分析的照片显示出对老年女性的年龄歧视程度高于男性。