What are some issues with studying Zoe Sugg/Zoella in 2026 on an academic course?
Is she cancelled? She made offensive tweets when she was a child. As an adult, she released a rip off advent calnander… and has been accused of exploiting her fans
She is ridiculously outdated! Online media moves fast! Developments such as social media including Tiktok, AI, and the diminishing popularity of youtube
Her content is not fashionable, trending, and does not reflect modern values and ideologies. Zoella has pivoted her content from a makeup vlogger to a fashion and lifestyle vlogger making longform videos
She does not reflect the algorithm. She produces videos with mainstream appeal, yet she pales in comparison to ‘competitors’ like Mr Beast
Her content, especially her older content reflects dated beauty standards and ideologies
Her content is embarrassing and cringy (subjective!). It potentially will not appeal to 17-18yos
Her original audience has outgrown her content,meaning there are far better examples to study
At this stage, Zoella is a historical text. She was designated as a case study a decade ago. The cycle of social media vloggers and influencers moves particularly quickly, a particular characteristic of online media.
Additionally, Suggs has produced an enormous amount of work, making it difficult to know what to study.
Some audiences may be completely at odds with the messages and ideologies of the text. Suggs targets a specific audience.
Her videos lack polish and professionalism. Surely we should be studying art, not amateur flogging makeup!
Suggs is a real woman. She is not fictional. Yet what we see is not real. It is hyperreal. This is very complex!
\textual analysis is difficult. We must discuss the lack of variation of shot type, setting, MES etc!
It’s more difficult to apply theory
Age: Zoella is now approaching middle age. She is a millennial, and appeals to millennial audiences.
Social media/online media has gravitated to short form content such as Tiktok. She is not representative! The internet is very broad! Very long videos are now Youtube’s USP!
We're Engaged! The Proposal, The Ring, Our Holiday & Third Trimester Updates | ad (2023) - Initial discussion - how much media language and theory can we get in??????
Zoe Sugg relies on a narrative that has been constructed over many years. In this video, Sugg expects prior knowledge of her family life, making vague reference to ‘when ottie was born’, relating to her older audience. This assumes her viewers are harcore and motivated fans (Jenkins). It also assumes a knowledge of her narrative, which has formed a cyclical narrative that audiences can still be involved in.
The MES of the video is stylish, refined and elegant. It reflects Sugg’s status as a rich and powerful woman. However, Suggs breaks the fourth wall, and directly addresses the audience, with the direct mode of address instilling a comfortable, relatable mode of address. David Gauntlett argues that audiences pick and mix parts of Suggs’s ideology to form their own identity. Audiences may try to emulate her clean, uncluttered, and timeless aesthetic, presenting a traditional and conservative ideology.
Her content feels exclusive to women, in particular teenage girls who may be entertained by the escapist ideology presented. Additionally, Suggs will also appeal to a pregnant female demographic, who will take a relatable mode of address. Stuart hall argues that the preferred reading will be taken by the target demographic, and will aspire to live up to Suggs’s ideological expectations. However, other audiences will simply not engage with this video.
Suggs mentions going on holiday several times, casually constructing a middle class ideology for her audience. However, her videos are predominantly watched by a working class audience. The products that she uses are aspirational for a working class.
Suggs constructs a working class persona through her stereotypical costume and the stereotypical MES of her house. She deliberately avoids the MES of high end fashion, art, and books in order to construct a working class identity for her audience.
Judith Butler argues that we perform our gender through the repetition of actions. Here Zoella performs her social class, performatively constructing a working class audience
The cinematography and editing is minimalist, making extensive use of spliced in jump cuts. Typically, jump cuts signify low quality in film media. However, in youtube videos, it serves other functions. It can engage audiences, demonstrates some degree of effort, and constructs an unprofessional and relatable mode of address. The single shot, only interrupted by jump cuts, anchors a reading of relatability, and constructs a parasocial relationship. The audience are positioned on the floor with Sugg, the constant medium close up inferring physical contact with her. This in turn constructs a voyueristic mode of address!
Suggs encourages involvement with the target audience, asking them to get a drink, to get comfy and even apply their own makeup. This makes many assumptions of the target audience: the context, the time of day, and even the fact that the audience wears makeup!
The video is 45 minutes long! However, many audiences will simply skip to the best bit. Youtube encourages this through a ‘most replayed’ feature. In the engagement video, this happens to be a discussion of the size of Suggs’s fetus, a shared moment that will appeal to her devoted fandom.
The title is highly conventional of vlogs. By including so many words in this title, all sense of ambiguity is removed, and an explicit address is made to an audience who is interested in her engagement. This demographic will largely be her age, and in a similar set of circumstances. Additionally, the selection of very specific key words is a form of SEO or search engine optimisation, and allows her to target a very specific audience.
The video features paid adverts. This is indicated in the title, but also is indicated through a pop up graphic that pops up as she discusses a bronzer/ Suggs’s performance takes a frank and practiced sing-song approach. She refers to “one of my favourite skincare products: niacinamide”, blending the obligations of her advertising obligation with her relatable mode of address. Additionally, Suggs describes ‘looking more alive’ constructing a hyperreal mode of address for her target audience. This utilisation of advertising strategies helps to minimise risk and maximise profit.
THe most rewatched part of the video features Suggs comparing her fetus to a variety of objects, such as cabbages, penguins and shoes. This constructs a narrative for the target audience that pregnancy can be scary
Suggs forms a parasocial relationship with the audience, using phrases such as “as you know, we never remember anniversaries” referring to taking two holidays as “the least zoe thing ever”. We as an audience therefore become percentages and datapoints that are being analysed by Sugg. Her knowledge of her target audience therefore cultivates and subjectifies an audience into a product. By watching her videos, we generate advertising revenue for Suggs
The video takes a direct mode of address, with Sugg looking directly in too the camera. This is common in vlogs, and cultivates a friendship with the audience in order to profit from the advertisements that are incorporated into this video. The lexis “as you guys will now” therefore constructs a parasocial relationship with the audience, which ultimately cultivates an ideology that we as an audience are privileged and special, despite being one of 1000000 people who have engaged with this product
The video uses extensive artificial lighting, which is referred to by Suggs herself. By referring to the lighting, Suggs creates a direct address that breaks the fourth wall. She also references breaking ‘several Canon GX7’s’, again breaking the rules of conventional narrative. WHile in experimental cinema this effect will upset and confuse the audience, in this video, Suggs is seeking to be inclusive, and get to know her problems
The problems that SUggs outlines and shares in this video includes going on holiday too often, breaking several high end cameras, and the fact that she has to rely on her extensive artificial lighting. This constructs a reality where Suggs is clearly wealthy and privileged, which contrasts with the reality simultaneously constructed that she is a regular, relatable middle class woman. Suggs is a walking binary opposition,simultaneously constructing two different realities, one where she is a successful business woman, the other where she is a relatable, normal young working class woman.
If you don’t follow me on Instagram, you can now see I’m an engaged woman’ - provides audiences with the opportunity to engage with Sugg using a different platform. Instagram reaches a different audience demographic, and allows audiences to endgame with and to create their own responses , a perfect example of Shirky’s end of audience theory
Jean Baudrillard argues that there is now no such thing as reality. The system of images is now so confusing we have no idea what is real or not. Most importantly, we do not care. This video encourages the audience to fetishistically disavow the reality that Sugg is creating a landscape of digital exploitation, where we are being used for clicks and cash.
We're Engaged! The Proposal, The Ring, Our Holiday & Third Trimester Updates | ad – how does this video seek to minimise risk and maximise profit?
The video takes the form of a relaxed, friendly and intimate conversation. However, Sugg weaves in references to brands, such as ‘Colour Wonder’ pens, and ‘Drunk Elephant B Goldi drops’. By code switching from advertising to conversation, Sugg presents this longform advert in a more relatable, presentable and less intrusive way.
The video lacks pictures, insert graphics, cutaways and other conventions of mainstream advertising. In fact the production values are very low, helping sugg to maximise profit through familiarity and a gentle address.
The language used is plain, easy, accessible. Zoe Sugg uses the phrase ‘so freaking exciting’ as opposed to saying fucking. Sugg here establishes a friendly mode of address that will cause no harm or offense to anyone. It also constructs Sugg as childish and innocent.
This weird, wholesome modesty is further cultivated by Sugg’s lack of opinions. She discusses no politics, ideology or anything beyond a consumerist lifestyle. It constructs a reality where politics and war and inequality and anything important doesn’t matter, and escapist fantasy.
Through the use of hyperlinks, the audience is able to navigate to an affiliate website to buy the products that she uses. This quick and easy process is an example of hypermodality.
The advert is legally obligated to be signposted by an onscreen graphic reading ‘ad’. However, the discussion of the bronzer is anchored through the relatable content of her discussion. It mixes advertising and the reality of her life in a manner that embeds advertised content into her brand.
The discussion of her pregnancy reaches a target audience who potentially will be buying lots of products
The video creates a number of anticipatory moments, discussing the upcoming release of a new bronzer. She also discusses combining it with another product, reinforcing an ideology of consumption. By promoting a consumerist lifestyle, she encourages audiences to buy products to address their needs
There are links to purchase Drunk Elephant B-Goldi Bright Drops. Thi sis labelled as paid for advertising, indicating she receives click through revenue.
The advertising is indicated in a subtle and minimalistic way, which in turn minimises risk and maximises profit. Audiences are cynical about influencers being paid to say things, so making this as subtle as possible is important
Additionally, by signposting this ad, risk is minimised, and she cannot be targeted by OFCOM or the ASA for malpractice
The title itself features the word ‘ad’, indicating the video is a long form advert. Additionally, the video title has many words, which not only minimises the word ‘ad’, but also stuffs the title with keywords, encouraging clickbait, and promoting SEO (search engine optimisation)
Additionally, these keywords function as proairetic codes, encouraging the audience to keep watching until they are revealed
Media language and textual analysis
Homepage and other pages - The opening page, the launch page where all aspects of the website can be accessed
Codes and conventions
Layout and design
Composition - where everything is placed how it’s structured
Font size, type of font (e.g. serif/sans serif), colour
Images/photographs - camera shot type, angle, focus
Mise-en-scene – colour, lighting, location, costume/dress, hair/make-up - the stuff in scene
Graphics, logos - Logos, images, anything that’s not a picture or text
Language - formal/informal mode of address?
Anchorage of images and text
Elements of narrative/structure around the site
Interactive features - stuff that the audience can get involved with
Menu bar and navigation – structure and design of the site
Navbar - A pull down or top bar that allows access to different section
Hyperlink - An element that will directly take the audience to another webpage
Hypermodality - The interconnectedness of the internet, that allows easy access to different digital media forms
Web 2.0 - modern, commercial aesthetic of the internet. White background, straightforward fonts, clean…
Thumbnail/preview image - An enticing image that functions as a hyperlink
Audience - exploring complex audience theories and active audience responses
Zoe Sugg is a series of dichotomies… She reviews sex toys, yet cultivates a family friendly appearance… she represents herself as being wholesome and innocent, yet has made hate speech online… she represents herself as a relatable creator, yet is clearly wealthy, privileged
Yet the audience engage in a form of escapism and fetishistic disavowal, ignoring the issues because we want to watch her, and engage with her
Let’s list every audience theory AGAIN!!!!!!!!?????!!
Reception theory (Hall) - How the audience decodes the ideology of the producer. Preferred, oppositional, negotiated reading
Cultivation theory - (Gerbner) - beliefs grow over time due to repeat exposure
Active and passive audiences - active audiences engage! The may make media, passive audiences simply take in the message
Clay Shirky - end of audience - we can all actively engage and make media!
Bandura - the effects model. Audiences are passively influenced.
Henry Jenkins - fans exist! Fans create communities, and textually poach (steal) aspects from media
To what extent does Zoella use YouTube algorithmic business practices in order to manipulate her audiences? And how can audiences respond to these techniques?
An algorithm is a code or routine that runs a particular process. Complex algorithms can be used by digitally convergent media platforms to push certain videos of certain topics depending on how the user interacts with other videos. The most effective way of measuring this is engagement, the time spent interacting with a media product online. However, content creators can do certain things in order to maximise engagement and to game the algorithm…
Stuart Hall - audience negotiation
Dominant ideological perspective - Wholesome, family orientated (traditional, conservative, nuclear), fails to engage with the corporate nature of her life, absorbed within the narrative of her life
Preferred reading - We submerge ourselves within the escapist fantasy of her life, and the joyous conservative values, engaging with a rich parasocial relationship. The audience understands the monetisation, but we accept it as an important part of the consumer society that we live in.
Oppositional reading - deeply uncomfortable with the representation of perfection. An unnatural, uncanny, creepy and offputting version of life. May oppose the promotion of the nuclear family, anyone who has an alternative lifestyle. May also oppose the exploitation and commercialisation of her children.
Negotiated reading - audiences may take exception to the commercialism and exploitation, but may still take influence from the Christmas activities! They may have a desire to live this lifestyle, yet with a completely different aesthetic. Audiences may disagree with the ideology, yet may disregard it completely, and view the videos as entertainment, to play in the background for parasocial reasons. Nostalgia!
Applying reception theory to Zoe Suggs most recent brand identity (2025 vlogmost posts)
Reception theory theorises hope audiences can interpret, negotiate and respond to the producers ideology
Dominant ideological perspective - Family orientated. Her blood related immediate family and her friends. A nuclear family, 2 parents and 2 children. It’s important to be festive and the true meaning of Christmas is to buy lots of things. Christmas is secular. Their life is always happy, with a highly edited construction. It’s completely acceptable and desirable to film every moment of our lives, including our children. Fashion is plain, neutral, grown up and mature.
Preferred reading is that Sugg lives an ideal life that we wish to achieve ourselves. Aspirational standards of living. The preferred audience will agree with the importance of materialism, and will aspire to obtain these objects. It’s fine to film our children: they will look back fondly in the future
Oppositional reading - Filming your children and sharing their likeness online is essentially child abuse. Buying so much for Christmas is out of touch with the reality of going through a cost of living crisis. Rampant inequality is destroying our country, and Zoella does not address this at all. Sharing personal details is boring and self obsessed, and encourages an overly individualistic lifestyle.
Negotiated readings…
I disagree with these values, yet I find this video entertaining
I have a history with Zoella. I grew up with her. I feel like I know her. THe new content isn’t as good, but I’ll sometimes watch
I disagree with her filming her children! That’s wrong. But It’s useful to find out tips on how to entertain my own children at Christmas.
I don’t care about about family blogging, it doesn’t interest me, but I like it on tin the background
Henry Jenkins - fandom!
A dedicated group of active audience participants who will distribute, engage with and interact with media in sometimes unusual ways. While a Zoella audience may simply watch and occasionally comment, fans can engage actively and differently.
The audience refers to those who watch, play, read, or consume a media product. Fans, by contrast, will form communities, make meanings, will interact with, and otherwise do things with the media product.
Examples of fannish behaviour include…
Fan pages
Video edits
Fan art
Fan fiction
Cosplay
Analyse the product
Discuss with fan communities
Attend conventions
Make comments
Attempt to meet actors or creators
Buy merchandise eg tshirts
Fannish behaviour allows fans to express their love and devotion to their favourite media product. It allows fans to actively fantasise and take the media product further. It also allows fans a creative outlet, and allows them to use a preexisting genre and narrative framework. Fannish behaviour is also made to be seen by the producer, creating a different link
Erotic fan fiction - written in a childish style. Focus on kissing and romance between Zoe Sugg and Aflie Dayes, set in a high school, with both parties being 18.
Commenting on videos - Allows fans the opportunity to directly interact with their idol. Sugg chooses not to interact with her fans on youtube, presumably because it’s too labour intensive. Additionally, commenting allows fans to present their parasocial relationship to the world: “MARK IN BED NEXT TO ALFIE ABSOLUTELY KILLED ME HAHAHAHA” (1.9k likes)
Fan art - usually drawings of stills of Sugg in videos. Allows aspiring artists to practice their art with something they love!
Shipping - placing two characters together in a relationship. ‘Zalfie’ ships are particularly popular with vans, and a reaction video was posted by Sugg reacting to these fannish reactions. Their open analysis is straightforward, but provides the fans validation for their own fannish behaviour. An ourboric relationship with fans, constructing a highly postmodern address!
Recreating the Sugg house in The Sims 4 - Allows fans to explore their love of architecture, and to get closer to the relationship they have with Sugg
Redbubble/Etsy tshirts - allows fans to explore their love for Sugg, but also provide unofficial merchandise for other fans
The fannish behaviour that negotiates Sugg’s image rarely strays from the dominant preferred ideology, and reflects her aesthetic and attitudes and beliefs. It’s not adventurous, and suggests that even Zoella’s fans are passive and conservative in their fannish behaviour.
Youtube comments! By posting supportive, relatable and heartwarming comments that reflect the ideology of the videos, fans can get likes, interactions, engagements. “I just want to say thank you to you Zoe & Alfie, and everyone involved for bringing the Christmas vibes and joy this month!! We appreciate you more than you can ever imagine! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and may everyone have a great 2026! 😊❤🎉” 2.3k likes. This interaction provides a sense of engagement and unity
Fans can create their own fan art, snd sell it using sites like redbubble, etsy. This is highly unconventional and highly postmodern outlook allows fans to engage actively with influencers and content creators living in the here and now. Zoella constructs an illusion of consent, posting Zalfie fan art reaction videos, in turn constructing a complex relationship with her fans.
Sugg has a name for her fans, Sugglets, which is highly infantalising , and suggests her audience are younger. It constructs a hierarchy of fans, that positions Sugg in a position of authority and her fans in a position of subordination. A reverential, obsessive relationship for some people. Escapism for her army of fans.
Video edits of Zoella’s work. Allows fans to explore themes and isolate certain ideas that appeal to them. For example ‘being yourself’, sees Sugg as a source of inspiration and therapy.
Zoella subreddit, forums, social media accounts, including an X fan accountInstagram, online discussions for fans to discuss her
Fan meet ups, meet and greats, Vidcon, allows fans to actually meet her
Stanning and stan culture
Audience - exploring complex audience theories and active audience responses
To what extent does Zoella use YouTube algorithmic business practices in order to manipulate her audiences? And how can audiences respond to these techniques?
An algorithm is a code or routine that runs a particular process. Complex algorithms can be used by digitally convergent media platforms to push certain videos of certain topics depending on how the user interacts with other videos. The most effective way of measuring this is engagement, the time spent interacting with a media product online. However, content creators can do certain things in order to maximise engagement and to game the algorithm.
Audience appeal and engagement on the ‘Zoella’ youtube video page
Here, Sugg uses thumbnails effectively in order to engage and appeal to her previously younger audience. She does so:
Directly addressing the audience, creating a hyperreal sense of engagement
The use of varied subtitles provides a range of specific and curated material for her target audience
The use of ‘aesthetic’ fonts, nice looking, and stereotypically feminine (a sexist assumption…)
Her smile is huge! It is exaggerated, appealing, inviting, and resembles a character from a pixar film, hyperexpressive
The colours are bright, and the saturated reds form a binary opposition with the desaturated pale skin. This constructs and cultivates a stereotypically joyous and happy mode of address
Zoella adheres to stereotypical white middle class beauty standards, and the thumbnails emphasise this through editing
The combination of mise-en scene constructs an infantilising mode of address
Infantilisation refers to the process of making something childlike. In the video Ultimate Pizza Taste Test With Mark | Zoella, the 29 year old Sugg eats a variety of high street pizza brands while closing her eyes. This silly game will clearly appeal to her target younger audience. Yet a dichotomy is constructed between the adult Sugg and the childish game she plays. This childishness is emphasised through her childish tone of voice and her excited performance. The video is entirely non-threatening, non-contraversial, and lacking anything which may offend audiences. However, some unintended audiences may take exception to the rampant consumerism, and her skinny body and overeating may prove a trigger for those suffering from eating disorders. This final video has no meaning, no celebration, and does not mark the end of the Zoella. Additionally, we can also deduce that this sort of content no longer engages her audience. She needs to rebrand
A naturalistic mode of address is cultivated through the ‘natural’ lighting, the abundance of people crowding the frame, and more varied facial expressions
In almost every thumbnail, Zoella is performatively squinting, pinching her face in a way to provide an appealing experience for the audience
Her costume is now understated and minimalistic. It symbolically encodes maturity while also acknowledging that trends have changed, allowing her to target a contemporary audience
The thumbnails acknowledge her audience is now old. Her makeup is now more subtle and natural
The lexis ‘with mark’ constructs a hermeneutic code, either encouraging the audience to find out who mark is, or to find out what their favourite Zoella sidekick is up to!
Many videos reference shopping hauls. This convention of vloggers provides an escapist and aspirational address to the audience, while also reinforcing consumerist ideologies
The lexis ‘my travel anxiety tips’ construct a relatable mode of address, revealing she has anxiety, and shares tips on how to cope with this
Sugg is hegemonically attractive. She has blue eyes, large eyes, pouty lips, and is particularly attractive to heterosexual women. She does not self sexualise, her skin is clear, she is well presented and relatable to straight female target audience.
In almost every thumbnail, Sugg smiles directly at the camera, constructing a personal mode of address. Her smile is either super enthusiastic or slightly shy, yet in both cases is exaggerated. She performatively reinforces stereotypes of women, enthusiastic or shy, that will appeal to a mainstream female audience
The cursive, handwritten, serif font connotes a personal, stereotypically feminine. A specific, hegemonic aesthetic is constructed
Zoella is the sole focus of almost all of these images. Her trademark head tilt connotes a friendly, cute gesture to engage her young audience
Zoella changed her name to Zoe Sugg, her birth name, reflecting a mature and more sophisticated audience
Her fashion is beige, motherly, basic, minimalistic, and will appeal to young mothers and aspirational audiences
Her smile is now more natural, candid, less staged. She now squints in every picture, demonstrating her smile now reaches her eyes. She now looks significantly different.
She still appeals to the same audience, and has rebranded herself many times over. The lack of text presents a mature, minimalistic, unpolished vibe
Thumbnails resemble stock images, screenshots from a perfect hyperreal life.
Ultimate Pizza Taste Test With Mark | Zoella - how does this video engage her previous, younger audience?
Zoella and Mark are clearly having fun. As an audience, we can engage with this parasocial relationship.
Challenge videos were trendy in the late 10’s, and this video appeals the the contemporary audience
Pizza is popular with a mass audience, and her target audience will have experienced eating it. Even this challenge is not taken seriously
However, Sugg’s increasingly old audience may take exception to this video. It features food waste, it features eating expensive pizzas… Audiences with eating disorders may be triggered through the depiction of binge eating, and the fact that both hosts are very skinny, and presents a confused triggering body image
The video is very childish. At this stage, Zoella was 28, a grown woman
The Christmas Eve Finale, Family Games & Secret Santa | Vlogmas Day 24 - how can audiences use, interpret, challenge, and experience this video in different ways?
Dominant ideological perspective - this video provides the target audience with an ‘unedited’, naturalistic and authentic experience of Sugg's home life. It provides a delightful, voyeuristic look into a nuclear family’s life.
Dystopian??? - The fact that we as an audience are watching an ‘unvarnished’ representation of a ‘normal’ family make memories is bleak, miserable, and depressing. If we understand this video as an escapist fantasy, it provides a simple, straightforward vision of a nuclear family in a luxurious setting that will be out of reach for many watching this, leading audiences to feel inadequate at viewing this ‘perfect’ existence
A colonial discourse is constructed through the stereotypical white middle class family. Her children are called Otterlie and Novie, stereotypically white middle class names, reinforcing a reality where postcolonial discourses of white superiority are maintained.
The target audience for this video are white, working to middle class, and not engaged with cultural and political issues, not interested in current affairs. This is reflected in this video as there is no consideration of the world outside the insular private sphere of the Sugg family.
The video is highly insensitive to parents who cannot recreate this scenario. Many parents have jobs, may be on low income, may have disabilities… And it is very clear that this video is a complete fabrication.
An oppositional reading may be to take exception to the clear exploitation of the vlogger’s children. By including footage of her children, Sugg ensures maximum engagement with her videos. However, there are clear ethical issues to this. There is the potential for predators to exploit images of children, yet also there is the issue that these children cannot consent.
A delightful mode of address is constructed through the relatable activities and lifestyle. The ‘hiding the elf’ game is now tradition, and Sugg wears pyjamas and no makeup, constructing a relatable mode of address
Changing brand identity and addressing regulatory issues: “The Lovehoney Christmas Gift Guide Your Horniest Friends Will Thank You For”
Zoella was selected by the exam board as an non contraversial example of a fashion and lifestyle vlogger. However, she was removed from the GCSE media spec for this article and others like it.
The article caused some controversy, as the family friendly brand identity that Sugg had cultivated over time seemingly had been broken.
The article can be considered to be contraversial, as the title itself is a reference to a brand of sex toys, and also acknowledges female masturbation
“Happy horny Christmas, one and all! May you and your dearest pals be caffeinated and freshly-masturbated this December.”
The tone of the article is reasonably sexually explicit, yet not pornographic. It lacks any full frontal nudity or unstimulated sex.
The article, while reasonably explicit, is highly unlikely to traumatise or cause harm, even to younger audiences. However, the target audience for this website is clearly older. While the website has no checks or balances, it is highly unlikely that younger audiences would seek this material out in the first place.
The function of the article is, like much of Sugg’s content, and advertisement. It starts with the disclaimer “This article is part of a paid partnership with Lovehoney.”, a legal disclaimer which allows this site to be hosted and produced in the UK, according to ASA guidelines
If Sugg did not designate this, she would be breaking UK paid advertising laws, and would be presenting the opinions of a brand as her own.
Yet while the content is completely legal under UK law, with no apparent restrictions, the article is deliberately contraversial to appeal to a new, older, mature and sex positive fanbase. This pivot was unsuccessful, and clearly did not appeal to her audience, and her girly, stereotypical, innocent ethos.
Zoella was selected by the exam board as an non contraversial example of a fashion and lifestyle vlogger. However, she was removed from the GCSE media spec for this article and others like it.
The article caused some controversy, as the family friendly brand identity that Sugg had cultivated over time seemingly had been broken.
By discussing sex toys, Sugg was suddenly able to appeal to an aging audience, whose interests have changed over time.
In fact, this pivot towards a more sex positive lifestyle approach was clearly considered, occupying a subheading on her blog. Partly, this was due to paid partnerships and new revenue streams. “This article is part of a paid partnership with Lovehoney.”.
Suddenly, Zoella is using lexis such as “Happy horny Christmas, one and all! May you and your dearest pals be caffeinated and freshly-masturbated this December.”
However, though this new content shocked some, absolutely no regulations were broken. This content is clearly non pornographic. It does not feature unstimulated sex, and the article is justified through its target audience
The article may be uncomfortable for some people who are unwilling to engage with topics of sexuality. Yet it clearly will not cause lasting harm, especially to the target audience
The article instead takes a sex positive approach, promoting sex and masturbation from a mental health perspective.
Yet this approach clearly is not the usual type of media she has previously presented, and perhaps contrasts with her brand identity.
However, the approach is deliberately taken to court potential advertisers. By pivoting to this new sex positive approach, Sugg is able to target new audiences
Additionally, by adopting a more shocking, sexual persona, sugg is able to not only make audiences take her more seriously but also deliberately court controversy.
By discussing sex so frankly, it can be argued that this article is liberating for women, breaking a stigma about female sexuality… but also, as a capitalist working in a capitalist system, Sugg is clearly exploring more ways to minimise risk and to maximise profit
Regulation - The rules and restrictions that a media product must follow. For example, the BBFC regulates films in cinemas and on physical media through the age rating system. This form of regulation is effective to a point. But digital technology has rendered it somewhat ineffective.
Online media is regulated by… OFCOM! OFCOM also regulates TV, radio, broadband providers and the postal service! Therefore, this stretched service already provides an ineffective service. OFCOM functions through consumer complaints, and chooses when to get involved.
Regulating online media is EXTREMELY difficult. There are no specific rules and regulations across the world. The internet is a global repository of content. Using hate speech is illegal in the UK, but many sites are geographically located in completely different places in order to circumvent regulation.
The internet is so big, so diverse, so complicated, that it makes it so confusing to regulate.
Online media in the UK is broadly regulated by OFCOM. Audiences are encouraged to report content they find harmful; or offensive to OFCOM to investigate. However, the internet is vast, complex, and extremely hard to regulate. Hate speech is endemic, and often presented anonymously.
The online safety act forces audiences to share their ID in order to access adult content . However, not every adult website signs up to this.
VPNs, onion browsers and other technology can be used to circumvent bans very easily
The internet is multinational, global, broadly available to anyone anywhere, which makes it very hard for a british company to regulate
Examples of the regulatory frameworks of the internet being breached
Logan Paul, the youtuber, visited Sakuragoka forest at the foot of Mount Fuji in Tokyo in order find the corpses of victims of suicide. This breaks a number of rules and restrictions. Firstly, it potentially advocated suicide, causing harm to mentally ill and vulnerable individuals. In this case, the use of corpses was used to target and entertain children. He discussed and described the precise method. He also did not get consent from the deceased and their families, and also broke Japanese laws about filming in public.
Livestreamed and recorded murders and suicides.
On X, the Ai ‘GrokA’ utility can and still is used to create deepfake pornographic content of people and children, with no consent. This content is often used to deliberately target, intimate and troll female public figures. Musk and X are extremely unwilling to regulate this content. Media industries are often unwilling to regulate their own platforms as it will lead to a decrease in user engagement.
Engagement refers to the ways and extent that users interact with online media. Clicks, views, retweets are all useful metrics, but viewing time is the most effective point of engagement. Extreme content tends to get higher engagement…
Youtube influencer Logan Paul filming in sakuragoka forest at the foot of mt fuji, looking for corpses of suicide victims. The coverage was insensitive, and potentially promoted suicide. Japan has very strict laws about filming in public, and filming the faces of the deceased is also highly problematic.
Promotion of cryptocurrencies. A scam often carried out by online celebrities. Encouraging investment, and then pulling out.
Instagram, owned by Mark Zuckerburg’s Meta, has frequently received criticism for hopsting footage of actual death, muder, suicide and child exploitation. Users are protected with a completely ineffective age limit. Any change has been resisted as it may lower audience engagement.
Twitter - Musk’s grok Ai tool can be used to create sexualised images of women and children, which has lead to intervention by the UK government
Palestine A**ion, a Palestine advocacy group was proscribed and made illegal in the UK, which meant associated media and the access of it became a criminal offense.
Unwarranted and overarching censorship of media
Online media - the utilisation of digital technology to store, distribute and to engage with media
This can be used for research, communication, posting images on Instagram, watching Netflix, playing games, and accessing news media… the list is endless!
What advantages does digitally convergent media have over legacy, ‘old’ media?
Access media internationally!
Easy to bypass legal restrictions!
Immediacy. We can hear news as it happens
Access a wide range of content on one device
The ability to store and access vast amounts of content
The ability to make our own media!
Cheaper, more cost effective for production and consumption
Connectivity: the ability to connect with people global
Accessible: the vast majority of people in the UK have access to digital technology
Digital preservation. Things are not damaged so easily and can be stored online
Easy to evaluate and analyse data
Everything, everywhere…
Conditional. Do not need to consider scheduling, additional costs, transport costs
The ability to interact, comment, and engage with our favourite content
Tailored for the audience, with every niche audience catered for
On demand, no need for scheduling
Interactivity with other fans! The comments section on youtube
Instant communication! Ways to make friends and maintain friendships!
No need to leave your house!
Ease of access! Everywhere, anytime!
The free distribution and consumption of information!
A huge, potentially unlimited amount of content is available to access
Can use a single platform to potentially do anything!!!
Immediacy! Instant access to all media! As it happens!
Cost effective! It’s free!
Hypermodality! Websites are interlinked, leading to easy access from one to another
Issues
Allows people to easily abuse and attack people online
Digital connectivity allows whole news ways of exploitation
A huge timesink. Doomscrolling, time wasting
The digital divide. Old vs young, rich vs poor
The necessity to be online. Certain bosses may expect 24 hour availability
The constant exposure to advertising. promotes consumerism, with no escape
The obliteration of meaning. The postmodern condition
Anonymity: the ability to break the law with impunity
The over-reliance on technology. The Y2K problem
Using digital technology for war, murder etc
Data breaches, tracking, malicious attackers, stalkers, governments?
Easier exploitation of vulnerable people
Less censorship/regulation
Dissemination of hate speech
The destruction of creativity. AI slop, brainrot material, media of little value
The potential to exacerbate mental health issues
The desensitisation through extreme material
Trolling, griefing, flaming
Cynicism, confusion and a lack of faith
Mental health issues can be exploited through online media. Online algorithms will promote harmful, depressing, and destructive material, such as pro-anorexia content, or pro self-harm content can cultivate damaging and destructive ideologies with vulnerable
Cyberbullying and online abuse is made easy through digitally convergent media. Anonymous trolling, griefing, flaming, body shaming is now trivially easy
A complete lack of effective regulation, by corporations unwilling to sacrifice revenue
Online piracy! Copyright infringement can steal people's livelihood
Extremist ideologies, grooming exploitation
Engagement - The ways in which an audience interacts with an online media product. Engagement can be quantified through view counts, likes, and most importantly, total time spent watching or viewing something. Algorithms can be exploited to provide audiences with the content that the engage with.