EDUQAS MEDIA STUDIES A LEVEL COMPONENT TWO SECTION C ZOELLA AND ATTITUDE
- 1. MEDIA COMPONENT TWO Section C - Media in the Online Age
- 2. Zoella Language ● Structuralism - Claude Levi-Strauss ● Clear binary opposition between her and Alfie - representing both male and female stereotypes. ● She is always done up with nice hair, makeup and clothes, talks about baking, shopping etc ● He does not focus much on his appearance, often looks scruffy, goes to the gym and does sport. ● Postmodernism - Jean Baudrillard ● The internet is a simulacrum and the ultimate distraction from the real world. Vlogs are seen as authentic however are constructed in a manner that punctures the notion of the simulacrum. ● Blogs are positioned as the authentic voice of their audiences; their everyday personas are arguably constructed as antidotes to contemporary celebrity culture ● The media they produce isn't a realistic representation of real life and they contribute towards the construction of an imagined vlogging community which sounds a lot like Baudrillard's simulacrum.
- 3. Zoella Representation ● Representation - Stuart Hall ● Zoella’s representation manly consists of being approachable ‘girl-next-door’, stereotypically feminine. ● This has always been her identity however as her audience and fame has grown she has started showing a much more luxurious and glamorous lifestyle now, one which teens struggle to relate to. ● It can be seen that she reduces her audience to a traditional female stereotype. As her target audience is young they are easily influenced and would copy Zoella. ● Only shows ‘best bits’ - seemingly authentic representation through selection and combination. ● Identity (pick and mix) - David Gauntlett ● Zoella shapes the identity of her audience by promoting products which may appeal to this group. ● Her anxiety story is an example of her identity that can be ‘picked’ to help construct an identity. Viewers may relate to her problems and accept this as part of their own identity. ● Her presentable image may put pressure on young girls to look perfect all the time, for example in her vlog ‘Zalfie Apartment’ she is seen with hair and makeup done whilst Alfie looks scruffy.
- 4. Zoella Representation ● Feminism - Van Zoonen ● Zoella claims to be feminist and has in written blog posts about feminism however her stereotypical representation can be seen to contradict. In her blog ‘Who run the world?’ she talks about her female inspirations, but only lists them as being ‘nice’, and ‘lovely’. This adds to her stereotypical image. ● Feminism - Bell Hooks ● None of the people that Zoella includes in her videos or are any other identity than white upper-class. ● Intersexuality, She doesn’t represent other groups, she includes a gay friend (Mark) in her vlog but this conforms to a stereotype of him as a gay best friend and presents narrow views on societal groups. ● Gender performance - Judith Butler ● Zoella only presents stereotypical feminine traits to her audience. She vlogs participating in shopping and baking, and conforms to the ideals that women should always look presentable. She could be seen to be policing the idea that women should act a certain way. Gauntlett contradicts theory
- 5. Zoella Audience ● Fandom - Henry Jenkins ● Consumers becoming prosumers, audiences produce content and become involved in participatory culture, Zoella’s blogs, her comments, fan events etc. Audiences become involved in an online community of fans, textual poaching only exists in relation to content produced by a ‘star’. ● This is very different to traditional media where audience contribution is limited. ● End of audience - Clay Shirky ● Audiences are becoming less passive, they don’t just consume they contribute to texts as well. ● Media producers can listen to audiences and take on information, for example, Zoella fans can leave comments on her video with opinions and requests that may influence the content she produces. ● YouTube fans can share videos to social media and respond to content (such as controversies) ● Must consider that YouTubers must have a level of fame for audiences to respond and contribute.
- 6. Zoella Industry ● Regulation - Livingstone and Lunt ● There is a lack of regulation in the online media world, a multitude of voices mean that anyone can post/upload anything they like on social media or YouTube etc. ● Zoella regulates her own content so there is an element of risk with what she posts. There have been a few past tweets brought up causing a scandal about her identity which is an effect of no regulation. ● Her fans can comment on blog posts and videos which may influence opinions on her or her content. ● Power and media industries - Curran and Seaton ● Zoella and Alfie Deyes are no longer attached to any particular MCN, in 2018 they started their own agency called A-Z creatives which means they own their brand and hire people to help them. ● Advantages of this mean that they can control their own content and support people in their life through their job. They can also who who works for them and when. ● As their brand is single ownership there is less risk, however also viewpoints are less diverse/creative.
- 7. Zoella Examples ● Blog post - ‘Dreamy Bar Cart’ ● Uses casual colloquial language ‘pinterest-goals’ - targets a younger audience, friendly figure ● Always uses the pronoun ‘i’ - audience feels closer to her as it is more personal ● Mentions stories about herself that give an insight into her personal life - connecting with her audience ● Ends with a question to readers - encourages them to get involved and be an active fan ● Links the products mentioned in the blog post - may be part of a brand deal, readers and her fans are encouraged to buy these products, means they can be like her as an icon ● Vlog - ‘Time out in a treehouse’ ● Breaking the fourth wall - ‘You guys’ speaks directly to audience, makes them feel involved in her life ● Unscripted narrative - Seems casual and authentic, e.g. asking Alfie where the dog is ● Private spaces - vlogs inside her house and in bed, audience is immersed in her private life ● Sanitised story - conversation is casual, no big topics, normal and non-controversial ● Aspiration narrative - happy family and luxurious living, viewers idolise her and her life
- 8. Attitude Language ● Postmodernism - Jean Baudrillard ● Elements of bricolage - images from TV, magazines etc, none of the images in articles are Attitude’s own ● Intertextuality - References from other media, article on Grindr dates, SnoopDogg and Netflix mentioned ● Simulacra - Tellings of real life stories with images, e.g. selfie of the HIV criminal. ● Structuralism - Claude Levis Strauss ● Attitude features many articles on the topic of homophobia and LGBT intolerance. There is a binary opposition between freedom to choose one’s sexuality and social ignorance. ● Example “Luxembourg’s gay prime minister challenges Arab leaders over anti-gay laws during summit” ● Semiotics - Roland Barthes ● There is a lot of colour used throughout the attitude website and social media page, possibly to connote a rainbow, as a symbol of LGBT rights. Pictures are brightly coloured and headings are coloured. ● Website style is very similar to a tabloid newspaper.
- 9. Attitude Representation ● Representation - Stuart Hall ● Models are all attractive, sexualised and mainly all white. Toxic received idea that if the audience cannot relate to this representation, they have no place in the gay community. ● Identity (pick and mix) - David Gauntlett ● Articles are mainly on the topic of the LGBT community, however cover a variety of different topics such as politics, pop culture, music, sport etc. ● LGBT audiences and ‘pick and mix’ parts of their identity from attitude. They do not have to read all articles only the ones they are interested in. ● Feminism - Bell Hooks ● Lack of female representation but this can be accepted as the target audience is gay men. Bell Hooks would suggest for men of colour to refuse to identify with the magazine as there is a lack of representation for men of colour.
- 10. Attitude Audience ● Cultivation theory - George Gerbner ● All of the models used in articles and also adverts on the website, are attractive looking males, with bodies that conform to male beauty standards. Seeing these images regularly may cultivate the ideas that men have to look like these models to be attractive to other men. ● End of Audience - Clay Shirky ● Although Attitude holds a presence on social media, it is not promoted through their website. ● The magazine is free online so audiences can share on social media, however the website provides no comment section where audiences can share their views and opinions with others. ● Fandom - Henry Jenkins ● Attitude encourages an online community of gay men through the use of social media. Audiences may face discrimination and prejudice because of their sexuality, and this affects the way in which they use Attitude’s articles. Stories about pride and gay rights could act act as a form of escapism for a gay audience. (Uses and gratifications)
- 11. Attitude Industry ● Regulation - Livingstone and Lunt ● It is very difficult for a nation to regulate the internet, websites are available across the globe so what may be regulated in the UK is ineffective as the site can be accessed overseas. ● The website has a ‘get in touch’ feature which allows audiences to send queries or complaints to the company, which could influence the content posted. ● Cultural Industries - David Hesmondhalgh ● The website layout is very similar to a tabloid newspaper - taking less risk. ● Lead intros are short and snappy, brief summaries meaning they are shareable - increase readership ● Attitude is fairly dependant on naked men and sexual desire to sell their magazine, given covers ● Rely on exposure to social media to fund the brand but there is limited radical potential of the internet, there is no share button - possibly because of regulation? They are limiting audience input. ● All articles are equal importance, same size, audiences can pick what it important to them.
- 12. Attitude Examples ● “Gok Wan hits back after suffering homophobic abuse from group of ‘lads” ● Repetitive use of the word ‘lads’ represents the negative stereotypical lad-culture representation ● Emotive language such as ‘hurled homophobic abuse; increases the severity of the story ● “Bon voyage Dickheads” - participatory culture and humour, casual language to involve reader ● “If you’ve experienced homophobic hate crime, you can report it to the police…” - audiences can relate. Uses and gratifications - a route of escapism and acceptance into the LGBT community. ● “Man jailed for deliberately infecting men with HIV asks victims to ‘put this behind them’...” ● Attitude holds a negative view as the victims are of the gay community, words like ‘horrific’ and ‘chilling’ emphasize the nature of the crime and their viewpoint on it ● The man is referred to by name, in a mainstream newspaper such as The Sun for example, he may have been referred to as a ‘gay man’, however Attitude shows more normalised LGBT views. ● There are adverts placed throughout the article to keep the audience intrigued. There is a Spicebomb ‘Night Vision’ advert, which features a topless man, the idea of the model as an icon for the aftershave.