Zoella Flashcards
(13 cards)
ML:
Typical Vlog conventions
- Direct Address
- private spaces (bedroom)
- jump cuts (sometimes noticeable to be relatable)
- hand-held (one camera set up)
- use of new technology
- laid back (informal tone)
- relatability
- excited tone
- amateurish aesthetic
- available lighting
- fan interaction (leave comments & likes) (prosumers)
ML:
Intertextuality within…
- common for post modern products
- refers to films, singers, makeup brands, celebs (to increase number of fans / engage new fans of the brands)
- collaborations with other bloggers, e.g., Alfie, Joe Sugg (cross-promoting channels) (bricolage)
- all just copies and influences from each other (postmodern)
ML:
postmodern conventions in vlog
- shows audiences the camera, the lights
- speaks about editing the video, breaking 4th wall
- fragmented narrative, montage editing
- emphasis on reality (spontaneous speech)
- self-awareness, makes it clear that she films/edits the videos herself
ML:
vlog language conventions…
- direct address (‘you guys’…) (parasocial relationship/interactions with viewers -> increases fandom/viewers)
- colloquial, informal language/slang
- (to appeal to a younger audience)
- emoticons
ML:
Setting…
usually in private places (home, car, bedroom)
- sense of intimacy, inviting audiences into her personal space
- feminine colours in her room (also reflected through website, e.g., fonts, branding)
Representations:
within the media…?
gender…?
- rep of fun, quirky, innocent, feminine young lady
- encourages younger audiences to watch her vlogs (female?)
(through close up shots of her applying makeup, beauty, hair) - relatable rep -> relatable activities (cleaning, cooking) -> ‘Normal Person’, ‘not perfect’
- are they real reps of zoella or the hyperreal ‘simulacrum’?
- is there a constructed mediated zoella that she is trying to get audiences to see over the real her?
gender reps:
- women often sexualised in the media (van zoonen)
- Zoella not necessarily sexualised, sometimes wears revealing outfits but is mainly family-friendly content (young target audience)
- no bad comments, sexualising content. don’t want to get flagged up/bad publicity/ruin sponsorships
- Judith Butler (gender performativity), reinforce gender roles by Zoella’s activities? (cooking, cleaning, makeup)
- reinforce feminine identity/stereotypical gender roles
- rep of female power, with some powerful vlogs on channel, or stories on website (‘who run the world’, 2017 blog) -> empowers women, female success… intertextuality to Beyonce (known to be powerful)
Industry:
whats technology doing the industry…? (produces & consumers)
what happened to branding (print/online)?
- increase of online vloggers, due to technological convergence such as social media/phones (has become the reality)
- share ability has increased, meaning bloggers can access a wider global mass audience now, across a variety of media platforms
- due to technology increase, branding/ads are focused more on vloggers than magazines, due to decrease in print sales
- Zoella does lots of deals, sponsorships
Industry:
When she first started being a blogger, what did she focus on?
- being relatable and ‘normal’ (e.g., no makeup on, mess up her lines..)
- has to try retain that branding/representation, although her platform has massively increased.
Industry:
Whats an MCN?
what does it do?
who did Zoella used to belong to?
- Multi-channel Network
- they work with a number of YouTube channels. they connect vloggers and brands together, so the blogger can promote the brand (they receive a % of profits from the deal)
- may help to assist blogger production too, as have their own team of specialist video production staff.
- used to belong to ‘Style Haul’, helped zoella to promote her content to a much wider audience about fashion, makeup etc.
- now she set up her own company ‘A to Z creatives’ for vloggers like herself
Industry:
Hesmondhalgh:
how does zoella do this?
- max profits, min risk, shouldn’t come up with something new as could cause risk and should copy existing successful formats to max profits (zoella done it)
- zoella has to consider what she’s posting. don’t want to go against guidelines/bad publicity
- the need to stay monetised means they have to consider what she posts to maximise her revenue streams.
regulation:
who regulates ads? (online, print, paid promotions…)
what rules to vloggers have to follow?
what could happen if bloggers don’t stick to the rules?
give an eg of zoella breaking the rules of what she posts…
- the advertising standards authority
- zoella has to follow certain rules, like mentioning/making it clear to subscribers that she is promoting these products for a sponsorship, through #’s like #sponsored or #paidpartnership. she keeps content family-friendly, no swearing/nudity.
- could be fined, lose followers if don’t stick the rules. sites like YouTube may demonetise their videos…ruin revenue streams
however no regulatory body to regulate social media in general (getting harder to regulate content/protect younger viewers from harmful content as content is never permanently removed when reported etc)
- most channels/apps ‘self regulate’, like YouTube who make their own rules about what people can post/comment…
- once posted a vlog whilst driving a car. police and viewers stepped in, reporting it as dangerous, especially with her very young fanbase that could be influenced by her.
Audience:
- relatively young, female audience
- targeted through content like hair, makeup & fashion
industry:
vlogs, website, branding:
- zoella has become more of a brand, especially with her website.
