- 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.
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