Attitude and Zoella - Identity and David Guantlett
Explore how Zoella and Attitude online manipulate audiences through ideology.
Zoella:
David Gauntlett argues that audiences are not passive, but instead construct their identities through ‘picking and mixing’ the ideologies of the producer in whatever way they choose. Identity is an essential concept in media studies, as we as audiences will respond to texts in a lot of different ways. Through this interpretation there is a lot of potential for the producer to manipulate their target audiences through ideology.
Zoella and Attitude online manipulate audiences through ideology via:
- Representations
- Mode of address
- Preferred Reading
- Product Placement
- Target audience
- Hyper-reality
- Industry contexts
Zoella's target audience is young (aged 12-16), white, middle class, females and she targets this group by using simplistic and typical representations throughout her channel. For example, there is no variety of ethnic groups represented in her videos, it is all white people meaning that it is appealing to only white people as people from other ethnic backgrounds would find it hard to relate to her content.
She also uses direct mode of address in all of her thumbnails to create a connection with the audience as she is staring directly at them (the audience). This is effective as it relates to the idea of Zoella presenting herself as a friend.
Zoella also manipulates her audience via the dominant ideology that she encodes in her videos. This is the preferred reading of her work which is innocence.
Furthermore, Zoella uses constant product placement throughout her videos to a point where it is hard to differentiate between whether she is presenting a product she actually likes or whether she is being payed to promote it. This means that she is manipulating her audience with this by promoting products that would appeal to a specific audience she wants to target such as make-up products appealing to middle class, young girls.
Additionally, there is a lack of regulation in social media such as YouTube meaning that it is down to creators such as Zoella to self regulate their content with money as an incentive.
Zoella also uses hyperreality in her videos to the point where audiences are unable to distinguish between what is reality in her videos. This is because her videos are scripted in a way that seems real and candid to the audience but in reality she would have thought about how she is going to present herself in the video in terms of make-up, costume and miss-en-scene in the background, even to the point of scripting seemingly natural interactions with friends which is really just to target a specific audience.
Attitude:
Similarly to Zoella Attitude Online uses largely similar representations throughout there website with not much variation between ethnicity, gender or class. Understandably for a gay online magazine there is no representation of women but the only people who are represented are white men aged 25-50. This is to target a specific audience that would relate to the people represented, white men aged 25-50.
The magazine also uses product placement to target a middle class audience. This is because the types of adverts that appear throughout the website are for quite expensive things like exotic holidays and higher tier cars which would only be attainable for a middle class person. This means that they target a middle class audience by presenting adverts that would appeal to them.
Attitude also uses the pink pound in their magazine to target a gay audience by uses iconography that they would relate to and like for example, the rainbow flag, rainbow faceprint etc.
How far can aspects of identity be seen to affect the way in which audiences use online media? Discuss, with reference to Zoella and Attitude. [30]
Both Zoella and Attitude Online use aspects of identity to manipulate, target and affect a certain audience for their product. This is because both magazines represent aspects of the identity of the people that they are trying to target in their product in order to target that specific audience. For example, Attitude uses stereotypically gay iconography such as the rainbow flag to target a gay audience and Zoella does stereotypically female things in her videos such as talk about make-up to target a younger female audience who want to learn about make-up. Additionally, David Gauntlett argues that audiences can construct their identities through picking and mixing the ideologies of the producer. He also argues that our identity affects how we respond to media texts and as a result a media producer can manipulate their target audience through ideology.
It is evident that aspects of identity affect the way in which audiences use online media with the online magazine Attitude. This is because as David Gauntlett argues audiences can pick and mix the ideologies of the producer in whatever way they choose meaning that Attitude uses a specific ideology in order to obtain the specific audience that 'picks' the ideology of Attitude. The audiences who respond to the ideology of Attitude negatively will turn away from the magazine as per Gauntlett's theory and a niche audience who accepts the ideology of Attitude remains meaning that the producer of Attitude has successfully manipulated an audience. An example of this would be that there is a very narrow range of representation throughout Attitude online. This is because almost every story and image in the magazine includes a person of white ethnicity. This means that in general only white audiences will read Attitude as they can relate to the magazine through representation. Audiences of other ethnicity's would turn away from the magazine because of lack of representation meaning that the Producer of Attitude will have successfully manipulated a white audience. This means that aspects of identity affect the way in which audiences use online media because your identity determines how well you relate to the media product. For example, those of a white identity will use the online media of Attitude whereas black audiences would not identify with the text and not use it. This means that Attitude uses symbolic annihilation in order to target a very specific group.
In addition to this, Zoella's YouTube channel is an example that aspects of identity affect the way in which audiences use online media. This is because Zoella's channel includes a lot of product placement of products that stereotypically would appeal to a young female audience. Equally, the mode of address in her videos is quite direct and friendly towards the audience as if she is friends with the audience. This accompanied with the fact that a lot of her videos have aspects of tutorials with references to make-up tips etc means that young female audiences would accept this ideology as they want to learn about make-up products and are more likely to like Zoella as a sort of older sister character. This means that equally, male audiences would be turned away from her videos as stereotypically aspects of male identity is not to like the kind of make-up products that she promotes meaning that aspects of identity affect the way in which audiences use online media as the male audience that she is not trying to identify with turn away from the video. Additionally, Zoella keeps this type of audience for a long period of time by not switching up her content because the fact that YouTube uses money and the monetisation of videos as an incentive for self regulating her videos (due to lack of a government body reinforcing the regulation of online media) means that Zoella does not want to include any content that could cause her videos to be demonetised such as including violent content and swearing. Additionally, Zoella has found a formula that works for her videos that means she consistently achieves a large audience so she does not want to change her content for fear of loosing this audience. This means that audiences who would be attracted to a different kind of content that includes swearing and violence may be unable to get the kind of content that they like through online media such as YouTube due to monetisation and self regulation. This means that aspects of identity affect the way in which audiences use online media because some aspects of peoples identity are unable to be represented in online media meaning that they wouldn't use it as much.
Furthermore, Attitude continues to manipulate a specific audience through aspects of identity by using product placement, targeted advertising and the pink pound. This is because throughout their website Attitude has advertisements for expensive cars and holidays as well as fashion advise which talks about expensive, designer clothing. This means that the magazine is targeting a middle-class audience that would be able to afford those kind of luxuries. This also means that it affects which audiences can use online media as a more working class audience may not be able to relate to the magazine as much as middle class people. In addition to this, the magazine uses the pink pound in order to target a specific gay audience. This is because it plays on the stereotypes of the identity of gay men by using consistent iconography of the rainbow flag to symbolise pride with thumbnails of articles being the rainbow flag and using photographs of people with rainbow face paint. This means that the magazine is ensuring that mainly stereotypical gay men use Attitude online meaning that other groups such as straight men and gay men that may not conform to the stereotypes are not represented and therefore would reject the ideology of the producer of the magazine by having an oppositional reading to the magazine.
Zoella also uses hyperreality throughout her videos in order to target an aspirational audience. Jean Baudrillard states that media images have now become more real than the realities they are supposed to represent. This is evident in Zoellas videos because she presents herself as having the ideal life by editing and scripting her videos to avoid including any scenes were she is arguing with her boyfriend or anything goes wrong to ensure that she is presenting the idea that she is living the perfect life and has a perfect relationship. This means that aspirational audiences are attracted to her videos as they aspire to have a perfect life like hers. This is evidence that online media is more suited towards aspirational audiences because of the fact that everything in online media is finished and edited to make it seem perfect and representative of ideals. Even Attitude includes a section of the website called "Boys" where there are many pictures of white men with stereotypically ideal bodies that are extremely muscular.
This means that to conclude, I would say that aspects of identity greatly affect which audiences are able to use online media because of the fact that online media is not representative of a wide range of people meaning that there are a lot of groups that fall victim to symbolic annihilation. This means that these groups that lack representation are more unable to use online media because they cannot relate to the content that others can. This also means that online media producers can target a very specific group of people by not representing lots of other groups in their product.
Zoella also uses hyperreality in her videos to the point where audiences are unable to distinguish between what is reality in her videos. This is because her videos are scripted in a way that seems real and candid to the audience but in reality she would have thought about how she is going to present herself in the video in terms of make-up, costume and miss-en-scene in the background, even to the point of scripting seemingly natural interactions with friends which is really just to target a specific audience.
Attitude:
Similarly to Zoella Attitude Online uses largely similar representations throughout there website with not much variation between ethnicity, gender or class. Understandably for a gay online magazine there is no representation of women but the only people who are represented are white men aged 25-50. This is to target a specific audience that would relate to the people represented, white men aged 25-50.
The magazine also uses product placement to target a middle class audience. This is because the types of adverts that appear throughout the website are for quite expensive things like exotic holidays and higher tier cars which would only be attainable for a middle class person. This means that they target a middle class audience by presenting adverts that would appeal to them.
Attitude also uses the pink pound in their magazine to target a gay audience by uses iconography that they would relate to and like for example, the rainbow flag, rainbow faceprint etc.
How far can aspects of identity be seen to affect the way in which audiences use online media? Discuss, with reference to Zoella and Attitude. [30]
Both Zoella and Attitude Online use aspects of identity to manipulate, target and affect a certain audience for their product. This is because both magazines represent aspects of the identity of the people that they are trying to target in their product in order to target that specific audience. For example, Attitude uses stereotypically gay iconography such as the rainbow flag to target a gay audience and Zoella does stereotypically female things in her videos such as talk about make-up to target a younger female audience who want to learn about make-up. Additionally, David Gauntlett argues that audiences can construct their identities through picking and mixing the ideologies of the producer. He also argues that our identity affects how we respond to media texts and as a result a media producer can manipulate their target audience through ideology.
It is evident that aspects of identity affect the way in which audiences use online media with the online magazine Attitude. This is because as David Gauntlett argues audiences can pick and mix the ideologies of the producer in whatever way they choose meaning that Attitude uses a specific ideology in order to obtain the specific audience that 'picks' the ideology of Attitude. The audiences who respond to the ideology of Attitude negatively will turn away from the magazine as per Gauntlett's theory and a niche audience who accepts the ideology of Attitude remains meaning that the producer of Attitude has successfully manipulated an audience. An example of this would be that there is a very narrow range of representation throughout Attitude online. This is because almost every story and image in the magazine includes a person of white ethnicity. This means that in general only white audiences will read Attitude as they can relate to the magazine through representation. Audiences of other ethnicity's would turn away from the magazine because of lack of representation meaning that the Producer of Attitude will have successfully manipulated a white audience. This means that aspects of identity affect the way in which audiences use online media because your identity determines how well you relate to the media product. For example, those of a white identity will use the online media of Attitude whereas black audiences would not identify with the text and not use it. This means that Attitude uses symbolic annihilation in order to target a very specific group.
In addition to this, Zoella's YouTube channel is an example that aspects of identity affect the way in which audiences use online media. This is because Zoella's channel includes a lot of product placement of products that stereotypically would appeal to a young female audience. Equally, the mode of address in her videos is quite direct and friendly towards the audience as if she is friends with the audience. This accompanied with the fact that a lot of her videos have aspects of tutorials with references to make-up tips etc means that young female audiences would accept this ideology as they want to learn about make-up products and are more likely to like Zoella as a sort of older sister character. This means that equally, male audiences would be turned away from her videos as stereotypically aspects of male identity is not to like the kind of make-up products that she promotes meaning that aspects of identity affect the way in which audiences use online media as the male audience that she is not trying to identify with turn away from the video. Additionally, Zoella keeps this type of audience for a long period of time by not switching up her content because the fact that YouTube uses money and the monetisation of videos as an incentive for self regulating her videos (due to lack of a government body reinforcing the regulation of online media) means that Zoella does not want to include any content that could cause her videos to be demonetised such as including violent content and swearing. Additionally, Zoella has found a formula that works for her videos that means she consistently achieves a large audience so she does not want to change her content for fear of loosing this audience. This means that audiences who would be attracted to a different kind of content that includes swearing and violence may be unable to get the kind of content that they like through online media such as YouTube due to monetisation and self regulation. This means that aspects of identity affect the way in which audiences use online media because some aspects of peoples identity are unable to be represented in online media meaning that they wouldn't use it as much.
Furthermore, Attitude continues to manipulate a specific audience through aspects of identity by using product placement, targeted advertising and the pink pound. This is because throughout their website Attitude has advertisements for expensive cars and holidays as well as fashion advise which talks about expensive, designer clothing. This means that the magazine is targeting a middle-class audience that would be able to afford those kind of luxuries. This also means that it affects which audiences can use online media as a more working class audience may not be able to relate to the magazine as much as middle class people. In addition to this, the magazine uses the pink pound in order to target a specific gay audience. This is because it plays on the stereotypes of the identity of gay men by using consistent iconography of the rainbow flag to symbolise pride with thumbnails of articles being the rainbow flag and using photographs of people with rainbow face paint. This means that the magazine is ensuring that mainly stereotypical gay men use Attitude online meaning that other groups such as straight men and gay men that may not conform to the stereotypes are not represented and therefore would reject the ideology of the producer of the magazine by having an oppositional reading to the magazine.
Zoella also uses hyperreality throughout her videos in order to target an aspirational audience. Jean Baudrillard states that media images have now become more real than the realities they are supposed to represent. This is evident in Zoellas videos because she presents herself as having the ideal life by editing and scripting her videos to avoid including any scenes were she is arguing with her boyfriend or anything goes wrong to ensure that she is presenting the idea that she is living the perfect life and has a perfect relationship. This means that aspirational audiences are attracted to her videos as they aspire to have a perfect life like hers. This is evidence that online media is more suited towards aspirational audiences because of the fact that everything in online media is finished and edited to make it seem perfect and representative of ideals. Even Attitude includes a section of the website called "Boys" where there are many pictures of white men with stereotypically ideal bodies that are extremely muscular.
This means that to conclude, I would say that aspects of identity greatly affect which audiences are able to use online media because of the fact that online media is not representative of a wide range of people meaning that there are a lot of groups that fall victim to symbolic annihilation. This means that these groups that lack representation are more unable to use online media because they cannot relate to the content that others can. This also means that online media producers can target a very specific group of people by not representing lots of other groups in their product.
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