Postmodernism and Hyperreality

Semiotics: Roland Barthes
Signs, Signifiers and Signifieds

1. Anything that can have meaning 
2. The thing that creates meaning
3. The meaning that is created

Jean Baudrillard - "its no longer a question of imitation,nor duplication, nor even parody. It is a question of substituting the signs of the real for the real."

In the postmodern culture, boundaries between th 'real' world and the worldd of media have collapsed and its no longer possible to distinguish between what is reality and what is stimulation.

Therefore in this postmodernist ear, audiences are constantly bombarded with images that no longer refer to anything real.

Because of this, we are now in a situation that media images have come to seem more 'real' than the reality they supposedly represent. This concept os referred to as hyperreality.

Postmodernism is breaking the rules and conventions of media texts.

Breaking rules - postmodernist text often break fundamental rules of making media and tend to break down the 4th wall.

Intertextuality - postmodern texts oftenroutinely make reference to other texts, cultures and times.

Style over Substance - surface meanings are seen as more important important in a postmodern text than any deeper meaning.

Criticism of metanarratives - original texts that humans take their purpose from (religion) 

Postmodernism tries to break the rules and conventions of these metanarratives that society has been bound to.

Rejection of High Culture 

                                                                                                                               

Semeotics - Roland Barthes

Hermenuetic - An enigma code is a mystery within a text that is not immediately answered.

Symbolic - A part of a text that 'stands in for, or means something else. Eg, the pink pyjamas in the Zoella video could be symbolic for innocence, youth or purity. 

Proairetic - Parts of a narrative which are related to things happening for example, cracking your knuckles, audiences expect the character is preparing to fight.

Referencial - Where a part of a text refers to something outside of the text. This assumes the audience has knowledge of whatever it is that the text is referring to. Closely related to intertextuality. 


Applying the theory to study cases: Zoella and Tanya Burr

Zoella's blog: 
Hermenuetic - On the front page of her blog an instant sub-category title reading 'Anxiety - The Update'. The title creates enigma for audiences as it creates questions, because it is simple, and lacks information. How are we being updated? What is she anxious about? 
Symbolic - The mise-en-scene of the website, including hand-drawn fairy lights, pastel colour schemes, and swirly handwritten font creates the symbolic code of innocence and purity.
Proairetic - There action codes with in Zoella's website where she links her multiple social media platform accounts at the top of her page, suggesting where it will lead once clicking on the links, eg, twitter, instagram, youtube facebook, pinterest. 
Referencial - On the front page of her blog an instant category reveals a question anchored to a photo of Zoella reading 'Who run the world?'. The question creates enigma for audiences as it is an unanswered question, but also is a referencial point to a Beyoncé song; 'who run the world, girls!'. Here she is trying to offer her audiences a reference to an influential ethnic female artist, to advertise her support in feminist movements.

Tanya Burr's blog:
Hermenuetic - Lack of being brand-heavy, where she doesn't use a large font of her name, make audiences want to learn more about her brand identity.
Symbolic - She constructs a more classy image for herself, through the use of smart costume, body language and natural quality of photos. These aspects help to create a symbolic code of sophistication.
Proairetic - There action codes with in Tanya's website where she links her multiple social media platform accounts at the top of her page, suggesting where it will lead once clicking on the links, eg, twitter, instagram, youtube facebook, pinterest. 
Referencial - One of her blog post categories on the front page of her website makes a referencial code with her 'Q and A with Zoe', implying audiences will catch the reference to her famous youtuber friend Zoella.

Half Term revision questions

How does the social and cultural context of the product effect how it represents people, places, etc? What messages and beliefs does it encode?

How do representations in this product show the values, attitudes and beliefs of the producer? And how are these beliefs reinforced in other media representations?

How do audience responses to these to these representations reflect the time in which they were made? How can audiences interpret the social and cultural messages?



How do representations in this product show the values, attitudes and beliefs of the producer? And how are these beliefs reinforced in other media representations? (15)

Plan:
- Zoella is the producer, creating a product individually to be broadcast to 12 million subscribers.
- Define representation - 
- Represents herself in a feminine, domestic role through her gender performance (Butler), eg, mannerisms(playing with her hair), appearance (make-up tutorial)
- Along with needing to 'prepare food and house' for their christmas party, depicting a housewife image, where Alfie goes out  into town, and she stays home wrapping presents and tidying the house. 
- She is objectified, as audiences watch her daily routine, and her figure/face is the main attraction

Zoey Sugg is the singular producer for her content that is broadcast to her 12 million followers. Representation is the way aspects of society, such as gender, age or ethnicity are presented to audiences. Zoella tends to use largely stereotypical representations in the production of her content, through the use of gender conformities and generalising gender norms. Additionally she creates conventional beauty ideals that reinforce a 'perfect' beauty that is unrealistic. I will explore how she does this further. 

In her video 'Getting organised for Christmas Day', Zoella applies a 'housewife' like role to her image through her actions and intentions. She does this through speaking to the camera about her chores of cooking, cleaning and decorating for a party, that her and Alfie will be hosting later that day. Here, she is referring a representation of a 1960's stay-at-home domestic wife, that has been taught over time to be 'normal'. Judith Butler believes that gender is performed through actions that we carry out every day, and that gender is something we are taught. I could argue that Butler's beliefs reinforce how Zoella acts and 'performs' gender stereotypes within her videos. Zoey uses typical feminine mannerisms and actions, for example, she plays with her hair while speaking to the camera, and she also does a short make-up tutorial at the beginning of the video to show she cares about her appearance. These are typically feminine gender conformaties that conform to the typical woman behaviour. 

Zoella creates clear ideologies other representations such as appearance being of significance, through her beauty channel, and her own beauty brand. The way she represents a 'conventionally perfect' look reveals that she values and believes that beauty is important in getting anywhere in life. She is sending this message to her followers through including make-up tutorials, outfit recaps, beauty reviews on products, and advertising her own beauty brand. In her video 'Getting organised for Christmas day' she puts on a whole face of make-up - which she refers to as a 'simple look' - just to be at home to do chores. This creates unrealistic beauty ideals for followers that will aspire to look and be like Zoella. Concequently, audiences begin to believe that they need these products to look the way Zoella does and put pressure on making your appearance an important matter. 

Addtionally, in Zoella's video 'Getting organised for Christmas Day' she creates opposition between male and female stereotypes and gender conformities. For example, she need Alfie to come and help her carry a big bag, implying there is men are strong and women are weak. As well as, Alfie has plans to go out into town that night, and Zoella has to pack his bag for him, implying men go out and have fun, and women stay home. Todorov believes that putting two opposing concepts side-by-side create meaning. These representations of male vs. female create meaning through Zoella creating a very stereotypical attitude towards gender. This can inflict a consequently stereotypical attitude towards gender onto her 12 million followers, who will watch and take in the representations she is creating. According to Albert Bandura, these representations and attitudes can be inserted to the audiences, and consequently audience reciprocate the attitudes. 

In conclusion, Zoella represents gender in a possibly harming way, that categorises gender by their stereotypical conformities. She also emphasises typical beauty ideals that harm how people might see themselves, and put unrealistic apsirations into audiences.

Zoella continued

Zoella, much like many other vlogger, is based on a mode of constant hyperrefferentiality, and is impossible to understand without intimate knowledge of Barthesian referential codes. 

Lisbet Van Zoonen - Feminist Theory

• Gender is constructed through codes and conventions of media products, and the idea of what is male and female changes over time. 
• Women's bodies are used in the media as a spectacle for heterosexual males audiences, which reinforces patriarchal hegemony.
• She would argue that Zoella complies to patriarchal hegemony, and her image is used to be looked upon by men for their pleasure. 

Judith Butler - Gender Performativity

• Performativity is a repetitious and ritualistic act that constructs identity.
• There is no gender identity behind these expressions of gender.
• Our identity only comes as a result of this performative act.

Video - The Zoella Apartment

What sort of representations of masculinity and femininity are suggested by this video?

Eg,

The way Zoella reinforces conventional beauty ideals through her make-up, hair and costume decisions?

-very made up, full face of make-up for a normal day out.

-reinforces the conventional beauty ideals, suggesting that femininity is acheived through a specific aesthetic look.

The performance style of Zoella and the impact of this in terms of the gender representation constructed?

-high pitched feminine voice

-"boys in the back of the mini is not comfortable", as if the mini is a 'girls car'

-zoey looks after the house and decoration

The way that traditional gender binaries are reinforced through the presentation of Zoey and Alfie's relationship?

-Alfie goes to the gym two times, typically masculine,wearing a vest and a cap, here men are promoted as active

-whereas zoella is passively presented and her anxiety about leaving the house helps to reinforce her domestic role

-represent a conventional gender binary, carefully controlled expression of traditional male/female relationship.



Video - Getting organised for Christmas Day

What sort of representations of masculinity and femininity are suggested by this video?

Eg

The way Zoella reinforces conventional beauty ideals through her make-up, hair and costume decisions?

-Gets ready, by doing a 'quick and easy' tutorial.

-Advertises her own beauty brand, suggesting these products are needed to obtain her look and appearance, for the audiences who aspire to follow her lifestyle and style. 

The performance style of Zoella and the impact of this in terms of the gender representation constructed?

-Reinforces Butler, performing her gender through the way she constructs her appearance, ideology and mannerisms.

The performance style of Zoella and the impact of this in terms of the gender representation constructed?

- Clearly positions Zoella in a domestic role - preparing food and house for a christmas party



Ethnic representation within Zoella:

The potential impact on audiences of any absent representations

- non white groups are absent in representation reinforcing cultural binaries

- fuelling stereotypical representations

-channels marginalisation of non-white ethnicities suggest a segregated view of UK society, constructing sense of 'otherness' through absence of ethnic groups.

Beauty Ideals within Zoella:

Does Zoella subconsciously associate beauty ideals with specific ethnic groups 

- reinforces, that conventionally white is beautiful and other colour is not.

- channels construction of an aspirational, ideal lifestyle coupled with its reinforcement of beauty ideals might suggest to audiences that these statuses cannot be achieved by non-white audience.

Study Case - Zoella

- UK based
- Started in 2009
- 2nd most popular beauty account
- 12 million subscribers

Zoella video watched: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qY3vJkY2Kk

What codes and conventions can you identify in a typical vlog?
- P.O.V (hand held camera)
- High key natural lighting
- Relatable themes: chores, Christmas, television
- Addressing the audience directly, "do you ever at christmas..."
- Breaking the fourth wall, acknowledging and including the audience
- Codes of realism - walking around her home, natural lighting
- Invitation into private spaces, own living room, dog
- 'Aspirational' you want to watch Peter rabbit, you want to hoover.
- Unscripted narrative. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWj4Hj6owqk

• Always perfectly constructed.
• Lacks sexual appeal, always dressed classy, natural make-up.
• Zoella can be seen as fuelling the 'hyperreality' theory 
• Getting paid through sponsorship, channel becomes more constructed and manufactured, rather than realistic and homemade.

What ideology and viewpoints does Zoella incorporate into her videos?

In a world of polished media, a world in which the mainstream media saturate us with ideal imagery, Youtubers construct products that appear unmediated to their post-millennial target market.

Jump cut editing provides narrative energy and is coupled with a direct address presentation style to construct a deliberately amateur aesthetic. Relatability is constructed through the use of every day mise-en-scene, through costume and make-up that appears deliberately natural to affect an effortless and understated aesthetic.

The clichéd bedroom/home setting reinforces codes of realism and takes audiences into the private space of the Youtuber, where their seemingly unscripted narratives generate a sense of spontaneity. The inclusion of presenter mistakes and retakes in the final edits further augments the idea that we are being given an aesthetic insight into the personal worlds of alfie and zoella.

The effect, deliberate or otherwise, is the construction of star ho despite their ideal lifestyles, are the exact opposite of what we expect of stars. Zoella's simple charm is to present herself as a best friend character - to enable what Katz and Lazarfield would cal personal identity.

What does the film say about the way vlogging has changed since Youtube first started?

• Jim Chapman - started vlogging as he didn't have any friend - 'Anti-social version of being social'
• Increasing availability of internet and technology birthed vlogging.
• 4 years after Youtube was introduced, Youtube started using adverts to create money out of Youtubers, and this is when YouTube superstars began to form.
• Alfie - 'Hopefully exactly the same in reality' he tries to show his legitimate life, sees a future for Vlogging, Impossible to walk the streets without recognition.
• KSI - 11 million subscribers, 'a lot of people think it is easy' first 4 years are the most difficult, having to put out good content constantly. 'it's not about money (it is a bonus and obviously will take it) but I'm doing what I love'
• Joe Sugg - Used to just be a roof thatcher, has a graphic novel, videos have been watched over 1/2 billion times. 'experiencing a new kind of fame'
• Zoey appeared on popular television show British Bake Off
• 'Community watching and listening to your content'
• All about reaction, the audience reacting to the content and replying through social media.
• Jims sister (Pixiwoo) - discovered Youtube by accident, just used it as a way for one person to see her using make-up and lots of people started watching and requesting more videos.
• A medium that allows anyone to share a story.
• Fans feel they know their favourite vloggers, and they can directly comment and communicate with them
• Confessional videos often get higher number of views, eg, Domestic Abuse: My Story
• What you choose to upload can define you and your identity.
• Not yet established a 'correct etiquette' of how to behave online, therefore Youtubers are still discovering and experimenting.
• Tyler Oakley - uses his vlogging fame to spread a message and help a cause (LGBT) didn't expect to appear as a role model. Personal apartment makes it clear that wealth is not important to him. Youtube has created a platform to allow anyone to have a voice, which having to go through a process. 
• More and more people are vlogging 
• Vloggers can sometimes hide their true identity due to not fitting into the norm/ not appealing to their fanbase/ risking their subscribers, views and popularity.
• Sexualisation - Sam Pepper
• Start innocently talking about something through vlogging, slowly it becomes marketable and profitable
• Johnny Benjamin - uses the platform to talk about mental health and help others struggling with similar problems.
• Individuals can speak to other individuals and spread words and feelings.

Online Media - Vlogging

Includes photos, video and music distributed over the internet, which are either copyrighted or non-copyrighted materials provided either freely or for a fee.

Vlogging 
- Video blogs (day-to-day lives)
- Has become one of the biggest and most influencial forms of media. 
- Might be sponsored, to advertise a product

Why has it become so popular?
- Easy to access, and are free (via YouTube)
- Apsirational nature, wanting to buy the things go the places these people do.
- A way to live vicariously
- Relatability factor
- Authenticity, unscripted narrative
- Amateurish/ anyone can do it
- Personal direct mode-of-address/identity, makes audiences almost feel like they are close friends of these vloggers, shown through point-of-view shot, as if you are sitting interacting with the vlogger.
- Weekly/Monthly update, a form of media that you can follow.
- You can follow and interact with vloggers though social media by commenting, posting, tagging on their profiles.

What does the film say about the way vlogging has changed since Youtube first started?

• Jim Chapman - started vlogging as he didn't have any friend - 'Anti-social version of being social'
• Increasing availability of internet and technology birthed vlogging.
• 4 years after Youtube was introduced, Youtube started using adverts to create money out of Youtubers, and this is when YouTube superstars began to form.
• Alfie - 'Hopefully exactly the same in reality' he tries to show his legitimate life, sees a future for Vlogging, Impossible to walk the streets without recognition.
• KSI - 11 million subscribers, 'a lot of people think it is easy' first 4 years are the most difficult, having to put out good content constantly. 'it's not about money (it is a bonus and obviously will take it) but I'm doing what I love'
• Joe Sugg - Used to just be a roof thatcher, has a graphic novel, videos have been watched over 1/2 billion times. 'experiencing a new kind of fame'
• Zoey appeared on popular television show British Bake Off
• 'Community watching and listening to your content'
• All about reaction, the audience reacting to the content and replying through social media.
• Jims sister (Pixiwoo) - discovered Youtube by accident, just used it as a way for one person to see her using make-up and lots of people started watching and requesting more videos.
• A medium that allows anyone to share a story.
• Fans feel they know their favourite vloggers, and they can directly comment and communicate with them
• Confessional videos often get higher number of views, eg, Domestic Abuse: My Story
• What you choose to upload can define you and your identity.
• Not yet established a 'correct etiquette' of how to behave online, therefore Youtubers are still discovering and experimenting.
• Tyler Oakley - uses his vlogging fame to spread a message and help a cause (LGBT) didn't expect to appear as a role model. Personal apartment makes it clear that wealth is not important to him. Youtube has created a platform to allow anyone to have a voice, which having to go through a process. 
• More and more people are vlogging 
• Vloggers can sometimes hide their true identity due to not fitting into the norm/ not appealing to their fanbase/ risking their subscribers, views and popularity.
• Sexualisation - Sam Pepper
• Start innocently talking about something through vlogging, slowly it becomes marketable and profitable
• Johnny Benjamin - uses the platform to talk about mental health and help others struggling with similar problems.
• Individuals can speak to other individuals and spread words and feelings.

I Daniel Blake and Straight Outta Compton recap

I, Daniel Blake:

Regulation:

Who regulates this text?

BBFC (British Broadcast Film Classification)

What legal and ethical issues does this text bring up?

Issues of welfare within the working class, and families struggling with unemployment and poverty.

Does this text offer it's audiences a plurality of experiences? Give examples

The text offers a plurality of experiences within the lifestyle of struggling working class.
Eg, one scene includes Katy arriving late to a social worker meeting and being told to leave and Daniel helps her, a different character who is also struggling as he is unemployed due to his health and age. Another scene includes Katy shoplifting sanitary products as she doesn't have enough money to pay for them. 

Distribution:

Who distributes this text?

eOne Films

How many copies were sold?

Box Office - $15.8 million

What is the circulation of this product?

32 different countries, 676 cinemas, won the Palme D'or award at the french Cannes Film festival. 

Can the product be distributed digitally?

Can be watched on BBC iPlayer.

Power and Organisation:

Who owns this product?

BFI (British Film Institute) and BBC films

Is the owner major or indie?

BFI is a film and charitable organisation which promotes and  preserves film making and television in the United Kingdom.
BBC films is owned by BBC which is a public service broadcaster.

What else do they produce/publish?

Saving Mr. Banks, Nativity!, Billy Elliot, Made in Dagenham.

Are they vertically and/or horizontally integrated?

The BBC is vertically integrated, for example, they work within Television, Film and Radio.

Do they operate as a subsidary?

BBC films can only be seen as a subsidary of the BBC.

What is the dominant ideology of this organisation?

" To enrich people's lives with programmes and services that inform, educate and entertain. To be the most creative organisation in the world. "

Straight Outta Compton:

Regulation:

Who regulates this text?

What legal and ethical issues does this text bring up?

Does this text offer it's audiences a plurality of experiences? Give examples

Distribution:

Who distributes this text?

How many copies were sold?

What is the circulation of this product?

Can the product be distributed digitally?

Power and Organisation:

Who owns this product?

Is the owner major or indie?

What else do they produce/publish?

Are the vertically and/or horizontally integrated?

Do they operate as a subsidary?

What is the dominant ideology of this organisation?

End of Audience

Clay Shirky

• Audiences are no longer passive
• They interact with products in an increasingly complex variety of ways

Applying theory to Radio:

Here, audiences have reacted to the set LNWH episode of 'hygge' where the individual has created their own product of 'hygge' and shared it to their 'fans' online on twitter. She also adds the hashtag Zoella, intending she follows youtubers, who are also forms of 'end of audience' as they are interacting and creating their own media rather than being passive listeners/viewers.