Zoella C2

Question 1

How does Zoella distribute her videos?

Answer 1

• She started by filming, editing, and uploading herself but now she gets help from MCN companies
• She collaborates with other influencers such as her boyfriend Alfie Deyes to maximise audience
• She makes public appearances at events such as Loose Women, The Morning Show, and Celebrity Bake Off
• She does interviews with magazines such as Cosmopolitan
• Uses blog and YouTube to ensure global distribution
• Advertises videos on social media

Question 2

How have recent technological changes allowed Zoella to succeed?

Answer 2

• Mobile phones, SLR cameras, and editing software have become more sophisticated and less expensive meaning average people like Zoella can produce, edit, and distribute their own content
• She uses cross-media platforms to develop her brand and social media such as Instagram, snapchat, and Twitter to promote this

Question 3

How has Zoella used synergy?

Answer 3

• She has published a number of books including ‘Girl Online’ in 2015 which was the highest first-week sales for a debut author since 1998
• Sugg began launching a range of beauty products under the brand name Zoella Beauty in 2014 which have been available in 12 countries and make her the most money
• In 2016 Sugg released a collection of homeware products
• In 2016 she and her brother produced merchandise such as hoodies and phone cases under the name ‘SuggLife’
• In 2017 she produced an advent calendar that was criticised as being too expensive and poor quality
• In 2019 she worked on a limited edition makeup range with ColourPop Cosmetics.
• In 2019 Filmm, a mobile photography app that she co-developed was launched

Question 4

What are the issues of regulation created by technological advances?

Answer 4

• The Internet Watch Foundation works to block illegal content online eg) child abuse
• However, there is a debate to what extent online bodies should be regulated as there are no official regulatory bodies
• YouTube has its own guidelines but this is hard to monitor with the amount of videoes uploaded
• Content posted online is instant and global and so trying to remove it when it has been posted is impossible
• There is a debate to what extent YouTubers should regulate themselves eg) Logan Paul
• ASA (advertising standards authority) has to tackle vloggers promoting products online but not saying they are sponsored

Question 5

What are the social contexts that influence Zoella?

Answer 5

• Rise of the popularity of influencers online clearly reflected in her success
• Beauty and fashion are seen as mainstream activities associated with feminity which she uses in her videos

Question 6

Who is Zoella?

Answer 6

29-year-old Zoella Suggs an English YouTuber, vlogger, businesswoman and author.

Question 7

Who are other stars Zoella is involved with?

Answer 7

Sugg is the older sister of Joe Sugg, who is also a vlogger and internet personality known on YouTube as ThatcherJoe. She has been in a relationship with fellow YouTube star Alfie Deyes since 2012.

Question 8

When did Zoella first create her blog?

Answer 8

In 2009 and her YouTube channel the same year

Question 9

When did Zoella first create her blog?

Answer 9

In 2009 and her YouTube channel later the same year

Question 10

How many YouTube channels does she have?

Answer 10

2 - Zoella and MoreZoella which features vlogs

Question 11

What are some of the texts you should be talking about?

Answer 11

• Zoella’s Blog homepage- animated fairy light banner ‘handwritten’ logo; on-trend pastel colours; pull-down menu featuring tabs beauty, food, life, places, style, shop, and search bar; links to social media at the top; minimalistic style; carousel of blog posts; out of date (about me says 26 and last post from 2017) reflecting change to social media.
• ‘Who Run the World?’ post from March 2017 - positive outlook; easy to read for a younger audience; encourage female but stereotypical role models; comment section to allow interaction.
• ‘Anxiety - the Update’ post from October 2016 - colloquial chatty language for the younger audience; picture to reinforce her as a role model; relatable topic and big sister advice; use of best friend persona; comments section full of praise.
• ‘What’s in My Travel Bag?’ - 2018 - minimalistic hair and youthful makeup achievable by the young audience and aspirational; she has constructed an amateur aesthetic and everyday mise-en-scene through filming in a desirable minimalistic bedroom which she doesn’t sleep in with fairy lights, a plant, pastel purple wallpaper to create a relatable feeling; the majority of the girly products she shows she is sponsored by but she only says this in the description eg) ASOS dress, and Urban Outfitters phone case - affordable to young audience
• Getting Organised for Christmas Day’ on MoreZoella channel 2017 - animation at beginning of video suggests the professionalism; ideal aspirational home with boyfriend aspirational to young girls; ‘no make-up’ minimal makeup look; conforming to normal society through pushing consumerism holiday with ‘vlogmas’; Zoella conforms to middle/upper class stereotypes eg) piano as a present; conforms to gender stereotypes as she is concerned with domestic tasks and making Christmas perfect ; includes timelapse of wrapping presents, tidying, and make up; Alfie and Zoella binary oppositions with him on a man’s night, going to the gym., and Zoella having to call him for help.

Question 12

How does Zoella use call to action?

Answer 12

She gives an instruction to the audience with the aim of prompting an immediate response, such as ‘subscribe now’, or ‘click this link’.

Question 13

Who is her target audience?

Answer 13

• 13 - 17 girls
• interest in fashion and beauty
• BC1C2 class
• lonely or have anxiety
• predominately white and British
• mainstreamer/aspirer

Question 14

How does Zoella use para-social interaction?

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

How does Zoella use a best friend persona?

Answer 15

She uses a best friend persona by using a chatty friendly informal mode of address to talk about her personal life paired with a direct address to give the audience the illusion that they are part of her narrative.

Question 16

How many subscribers does Zoella have?

Answer 16

Nearly 12 million

Question 17

How is Barthes’ theory used in Zoella’s content?

Answer 17

• connotations o the pastel colours used on her website and in her ‘What’s in my Travel Bage’ video are soft, feminine and aesthetically pleasing
• Sign of the fairy lights connotes warmth and security and are often used in her branding
• Engima codes are used in the titles of her blog posts and videos eg) ‘Anxiety - the Update’ and ‘Who Run the World?’

Question 18

How is Levi-Strauss’ theory used in Zoella’s content?

Answer 18

• The binary opposition between real Zoe (with anxiety and imperfect) and idealised Zoe (perfect makeup and life) makes her brand successful as the audience sees both sides to her
• The binary opposition between men and women created by her and Alfie

Question 19

How is Baudrillard’s theory used in Zoella’s content?

Answer 19

• Intertextuality makes distinguishing internet and real life difficult eg) she references other vloggers- does she actually know them?
• Hyperreality- is the Zoella w see real? She constructs her videos and gatekeeps them so we don’t know what’s real eg) her ‘bedroom’

Question 20

How is Gauntlett’s theory used in Zoella’s content?

Answer 20

• The representations are arguably not diverse or complex
• Zoella limits the amount an audience can pick and choose their identity as they have to comply to her image of feminity

Question 21

How is Hall’s representation theory used in Zoella’s content?

Answer 21

• Zoella represents herself in a stereotypical way eg) domestic through cooking and cleaning and conforms to western beauty standards
• Hall suggests stereotypes are due to inequalities in power but Zoella subverts this as she represents herself

Question 22

How is Hesmondhalgh’s theory used in Zoella’s content?

Answer 22

• Bloggers frequently partner to maximise audience and profit
• She uses synergy through her book deals with Penguin and her beauty line
• her side channel MoreZoella gets her an even bigger income

Question 23

How is Gerbner’s theory used in Zoella’s content?

Answer 23

• Repeated viewings of Zoella’s content could cultivate ideologies of gender and feminity in the audience creating feelings of inadequacy

Question 24

How is Shirky’s theory used in Zoella’s content?

Answer 24

• Online blogs allow interaction between audiences and producers through likes and comments
• Zoella is aware media products no longer communicate to passive consumers and ask audiences to communicate back eg) Where should I visit in New York - does she read these?
• Zoella is a prosumer

Question 25

How is Jenkins' theory used in Zoella's content?

Answer 25

- The audience can interact with bloggers | - Fanfiction and art created of Zoe and Alfie

Question 26

How does Zoella use sanitised story content?

Answer 26

She uses content that avoids controversy, taboo language or material that may cause offence. This allows for age-appropriate content in vlogs – also allows vloggers to steer clear of demonetising algorithms