Blog Homepage - The garland of light bulbs gives the home-page a very homely miss-en-scene which may links to beauty bloggers often blogging from their home or bedroom. The font of 'Zoella' is almost like handwriting, add personalisation/ personality may represent this as possible physical diary. She has her social media links on the blog, which may suggest that she is currently has platforms. The section hearers (beauty, food, life, places, style, shop) show that she covers a lot of things. she is versatile and can facilitate all kinds of audiences. The colour palette is pastel which are feminine and soft that represents calming and that she is a soft character, very main stream and very representative of her audiences.
Blog Posts - Reviews are all positive and represent her as happy, positive individual with a good outlook on like, however, this may last authenticity. She also talks about anxiety and keeping calm in one of her posts which shows that she doesn't support negativity and might also represent a raw side of her personality which shows to her audience that she is real. Many of her posts are just displaying her 'perfect' life which may lack authenticity as it is not possible to live an actual perfect life. She posts a lot about baking which can come across as very stereotypical as it ties to the stereotypes that women are always in the kitchen and baking is a women's activity. The thumbnail images are very bright, something which contrasts against the pale colours of the top of the homepage. This causes them to stand out individually and attract readers.
Community Comment Section - The fact that she has a community comment section on her blog allows her fans to interact with her content and each other. It allows her fans to give their opinion and become active in the blog. Giving their opinions may help Zoella in making her blog better and to relate it to her viewers better and more effectively in a way which they have asked for. It allows fans to give requests for what they want to see across all platforms including Youtube and her blog. The colour is simple, with grey text.
Zoella Youtube - Zoella's main channel homepage ties in well with her overall aesthetic as it is very simple and white with only a few pop of colour . The gold of the banner really stand out and connotes a feeling o luxury to the viewer. Digital influencers have a large effect on sales so companies are willing to pay lots of money for them to promote their products. Creators can be paid a set fee or they can be paid according to the amount of views or number of people who click to the promoted page from their web page. Advertising is one of the main ways in which content creators generate revenue, and examples of this Youtube partners programme enables creators who have achieved a certain numbers of channel views to monetise the content they produce by running advertisement alongside their videos. Displayed ads or banners generally appears beside or below the video that being played. Overlay ads these are placed over the top of the video content in the lower portion of the video.
George Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory
An important aspect to consider regarding Zoella’s audience is how their own values, attitudes and beliefs might be shaped by viewing or interacting with her online products.
Gerbner’s theory is very important to attach to the study of Zoella, not only with her online products, but her wider influence on her audience and how this might manifest itself.
Gerbner states that repeated or prolonged exposure to any form of media will influence the audience to follow or replicate the messages, values and attitudes of the media text. In terms of Zoella this might be related to the amount of time any one of her subscribers spends online and the level of engagement – for example, does someone follow her through all her media platforms and affect their day-to-day experiences. This might relate to buying the products she promotes or is affiliated to, or at the extreme, to live their own lives through constant engagement with hers.
This can be seen through Gerbner’s theory relating to ‘resonance’. This would refer to how a Zoella media text matches the everyday reality of the individual’s own life. And possibly shape their view of the world.
Representation (Stuart Hall)
- The idea that representation is the production of meaning through language, with language defined in its broadest sense as a system of signs.
- The idea that the relationship between concepts and signs is governed by codes
- The idea that stereotyping, as a form of representation, reduces people to a few simple characteristics or traits
- The idea that stereotyping tends to occur where there are inequalities of power, as subordinate or excluded groups are constructed as different or ‘other’ (e.g. through ethnocentrism).
- A key part is self-representation which Zoella does through being her own gatekeeper, fulfils female stereotype through makeup, fashion, pastel colours, comes across similarly to women's magazines, use of makeup arguably teaches young girls that they must wear it
- Zoe is her own gate-keeper and represents herself in a way she wants to be represented. She reinforces gender norms with her pastel colours and female
- The idea that the media provide us with ‘tools’ or resources that we use to construct our identities.
- The idea that whilst in the past the media tended to convey singular, straightforward messages about ideal types of male and female identities, the media today offer us a more diverse range of stars, icons and characters from whom we may pick and mix different ideas.
- An idea of sharing media as stories is evident through her blog, by sharing personal stories online she is imposing meanings on the things her audience experiences in their own day to day lives, audience uses the narrative they see on her vlogs to frame their own experiences
- 'Attitude' does not show straight forward ideas about identity, agrees that the media is now more diverse allowing readers to pick and choose their identity
- It presents people of colour and their struggles, their sexuality is presented as their minority rather than their ethnicity, reduces colonial power through the construction of a different 'other'
- Audience’s see Zoe’s perfect lifestyle and may want to shape their lives around hers, especially if they have placed her in a role model position. Zoe also conveys typical female stereotypes with her content surrounding makeup, fashion, etc. She reflects a typical female magazine
Performativity (Judith Butler)
- The idea that identity is performatively constructed by the very ‘expressions’ that are said to be its results (it is manufactured through a set of acts).
- The idea that there is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender.
- The idea that performativity is not a singular act, but a repetition and a ritual.
- It reinforces gender norms repeating them and reinforcing them in society
- Butler's gender performativity theory- breaks conventions of gender norms reflecting how gender is a social
- Zoe’s blog reinforces
- gender norms through her female typical content including makeup, fashion and soft pastel colours on her blog. Her personality of being friendly, bubbly and cheerful is also female typical. Zoe is repeating female stereotypical acts, reinforcing what is expected for each gender.
Roland Barthes- Semiotics
The representations feel less constructed and therefore more real. She makes a real effort to keep her vlogs as authentic and ‘real’ as they can be, showing all of her life rather than just the positive aspects.
With it being a self-representation there is obviously a sense of biasness as she is unlikely to present herself in a negative light. However she is representing herself as the way she would like to be portrayed.
The representations feel less constructed and therefore more real. She makes a real effort to keep her vlogs as authentic and ‘real’ as they can be, showing all of her life rather than just the positive aspects.
With it being a self-representation there is obviously a sense of biasness as she is unlikely to present herself in a negative light. However she is representing herself as the way she would like to be portrayed.
AUDIENCE
We have established that Zoella’s key target audience might be teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 17, we should consider how this audience is targeted through the content and appeal of the online media product she produces
Equally we should consider how this audience is targeted through the ways in which online media products are marketed, distributed and circulated.
Some of this can be identified through the ‘modes of addresses used to ‘sell’ her lifestyle message. This is sometimes referred to as ‘para-social interaction’
Para-social interaction – the direct mode of address used by Zoella creates the illusion of personal, face to face communication. She uses a friendly, conversational mode of address when talking to her fans, helping to create a sense of intimacy, even though she is potentially talking to over 12 million subscribers.
- Target audience- 13-24 year olds, BC1C2 (youthful and energetic)
- Interaction through comments, polls, social media
- Collabs widen audience
- Jenkin's fandom theory- fans imitate Zoella creating a subculture, create content inspired by her, fan fiction (textual poaching)
- Shirky's 'end of audience theory'- fan art and fan fiction, 'Scamella' scandal, The Sun article calling Zoe scandalous for posting a relatively innocent photo leading to #westandwithzoe
Big-name vloggers are often promoted through festivals, conferences and conventions, with events such as VidCon extremely popular in the United States, Europe and Australia. Here, vloggers can network with others in the online media industry, but fans also have the opportunity to meet them in person. These meetings are often built around ‘Question and Answer’ (Q&A) sessions, personal signings and meet-and-greet opportunities.
- Conventions of online magazine- high image to text ratio, lede intro (includes who, what and where for the article), white space, teaser headlines, list article/articles in bullet points, emotive language, foreground adverting, wraparound advertising, sponsored content
- Levi-Strauss theory of structuralism- focus on the LGBTQ+ community presents the idea of conflict, the community being the 'good' whilst those against it being the 'bad', forming the opposition
- Front cover- 'The Masculinity Issue'- dark background and pink title, bold title, central image breaks conventions through the use of a man wearing makeup and having painted nails, use of a celebrity- Jake Shears lead singer of Scissor Sisters
- Zanzibar article- shows community around the world and the news, reflects how the magazine not only writes 'fun' articles but also hard hitting news, 'suspicion of being gay' presents how being gay is still seen as a 'bad' thing in other places in the world and can lead to imprisonment or death, the word 'catch' is also used dehumanising the men and reflecting the inhumane treatment, 'encouraged citizens to report people suspected of being gay' turns people against the community again reflect Levi-Strauss' theory, 'these men must be released immediately' is emotive language reflecting how the readers of the article are likely to feel for those going through this
Postmodernism
- Abandonment of strong divisions of genre or hierarchy
- Characterised by the bending and breaking of rules
- Style over substance, when the appearance/design/presentation of a media text is seen as more important than its actual content/meaning (link to the psychographic group of aspirers- concerned with how things look and what message this gives out to other people- want to heighten social status)
- Hyper-reality, when a simulated environment seems more real than reality itself.
- Self-reflexiveness, when a media text makes reference or draws attention to its own artificiality
The content on YT is diverse and different from the mainstream media in many of Zoella's videos for example, unlike traditional media content she doesn't follow a narrative structure, is unscripted, doesn't form an us and them relationship/ mentality and is overall more relatable and authentic than mainstream. This is diverse and different mainstream, media, therefore it should be questioned the extent to which YT, in comparison mainstream, is a more culturally diverse industry. Arguably it's as it doesn't just exploit and control what content creators get paid, arguably they control this themselves by the extent they can captivate an audience and produce attractive quality content.
Aspirational narrative, this invites the audience to desire the lifestyles of the YouTubers. Rather than seeing a constructed romance ideal through traditional media forms like films audience can see through the likes of Alfie Dyes and Zoella both blogging on their lives a perceived real-life romance ideals. As the audience have grown in sophistication, it could be said that the audience are now not captivated into believing the romance between actors on screen is real. However, the audience see the romance between YT, as they construct these ideal leaving in elements that contract a sense of realism and that the audience is like a privileged spectator looking into their private lives. The audience may be sophisticated but may have not yet come to realise that the YT romances they see through looking in on the YT have control over what to film, what to edit out and when to upload. This means that the audiences are coming to perceive these YT lives as real and when to upload. This means hat the audience are coming to perceive these YT lives as real and that they know them, when in actual fact they only know the representations and what the YTer chooses to let the audience know. This can link to Postmodernism where YT videos can be deemed a simulacrum of what we perceive to be reality.
While the high energy blogging lifestyle yields material wealth that audiences might similarly aspire too. As Zoella constantly suggests how she Is grateful for the success she has gained and what she is able to be released, it should be questioned the extent she is doing this to try and remain at a relevant level to viewers, where she is trying to position herself as relatable, done with a profit motive so that the viewers connect with her and subsequently want to be like her so buy her products. When Zoella does show off her materialists lifestyles by doing extensive clothing halls, which a lot of time included clothes hat is gifted/ given to her of free, this may attract an audience of aspirers (psychographics) who are interests in materialism and how they can enhance there status, potentially picking parts of what Zoella recommend to incorporate within their own identity. As Zoella has developed a respected brand identity largely because of her large social media following, captivating people into believing that she has information, knowledge and opinions that are correct and desirable to follow, it means that Zoella has shaped herself as an opinion leader. Therefore, as she shows these clothing pieces for example even when the audience might not be able to embody these products into their own identity construction, they may instead look for high street/ cheaper alternatives. This connects to Jenkins work on fans studies and his idea of textual poaching. An example of this can be seen as Zoella developed a symbolism with a peaking collar, this can perpetuated by her constantly wearing this style of clothing, showing it in the halls and even releasing products that incorporated this trademark look for Zoella. This led to fans of Zoella wanting to embody the same style as they had come to respect Zoella and wanting to be like her, therefore many fans were seen t o look for high street alternatives to this style of clothing, showing how Zoella as a self-constructed social media star that goes against the traditional controlled construction in mainstream media. With Zoella many deeming the use of everyday mise-en-scene suggesting an effortless and unsaturated aesthetic. Bedroom setting reinforces codes or realism and takes audiences into private space. Where the seemingly un spritzer narrative generates a sense of spontaneity. So despite Zoella's star lifestyle being presented in some way through the designer clothing, in other ways she is completely opposite to a mainstream constructed star when the audience don't know much about their private life, here the audience are positioned to view Zoella as a new kind of star, one who is open to fan connection and one who is only a star because she has been realistic and open, therefore it isn't exclusivity that's gaining Zoella's her star status, rather it's the platform of YT and social media following. People now don't look up to a star because they have a distant connection to their lives and a talent they don't look up to a star because they have a distant connection to their lives and a talent they don't, rather a star is constructed through the number of subscribers or twitter followers. This shows another postmodernism idea of how things look rather than the internal quality, the number of YT subscribers over how good they are in their talent field for example.
Synergy, the coming together of 2 separate media texts in such a way as to benefit both. Combination of elements has a greater benefit if this connection across different platforms where Zoella operates weren't connected. The benefit being that it strengthens Zoella's brand identity as people look into her more follow/ subscribe her, meaning that she is more likely to become the topic social conservation, causing her to move herself from the online sphere to the public sphere. Zoella encourages fans to facilitate this synergy and move around platforms where she operates an online presence by having her blog post being sharable and her social media being features on the homepage her blog and YB channel.
Attitude captures and maintains it's audience by-
- Readers most likely use a F-scan reading pattern to find something that interests them on the website, Attitude blocks their text and condenses it to make this easier
- The sub headers and white space in the layout also helps with this
- Stories tend to be written in an active narrative voice to add energy to the writing
- Journalistic pieces will contain a lede introduction to tell the reader who, what, etc to engage them
- List articles and bullet points are also used to make it easy for casual readers to be engaged
- Landing pages use elliptical headers, omitting words to facilitate fast read speeds
- Layouts are crafted using high image to text ratios
- Teaser headlines are used as bait- tend to include celebrity gossip and suggestions of exclusivity
- Stories are ordered by release date to show the reader that content is regularly updated, this can encourage regular visits
- Use copyright free photos due to the small budget of the companies, this can create a sense of authenticity especially if candid shots are used
- Celebrity content is used to draw in fans and expand the audiences
- Social media links are clear to engage with the audience members on other platforms, social media acts as a marketing feature to further promote the content on other sites
- Question based tweets, hashtags and tagging is used on social media to expand the audience
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