Online media Easter holiday homework SUPER FUN

Over the Easter holiday, you have the opportunity to complete a bonus assessment. Each of the questions below are potential 30 mark, 50 minute long extended essay questions that are typical of component two. And, while in the final exam you will not have a choice, here you do.

Pick one or more of these questions, and email your teacher your response. The deadline is the first lesson back after the Easter holiday. Students who submit their response will get a mark, a grade, and feedback. Students who do not, will not. 

Media language 

How have new and digitally convergent technologies affected how meanings are constructed through media language in online media products? Make reference to Zoella/Zoe Sugg and Attitude.co.uk in your response

Representation

To what extent do the representations in the online media products you have studied reflect complex and diverse ideological perspectives? Make reference to Zoella/Zoe Sugg and Attitude.co.uk in your response

Industry

Sonia Livingstone and Peter Lunt argue that the regulation of Online media is ineffective by design in order to favour tech giants and vast corporations. To what extent do you agree with this view of media regulation? Make reference to Zoella/Zoe Sugg and Attitude.co.uk in your response

Audience

Compare the extent to which the needs of both mass and specialised audiences are met by the online media products you have studied. Make reference to Zoella/Zoe Sugg and Attitude.co.uk in your response

Music video remake week

 1 - planning

1. Teams
2. Screening 
3. Storyboarding
4. Prop acquisition 
5. Location scouting

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ujWUrZTulo

2 - filming

3 - editing

Gender performativity and Zoe Sugg

Judith Butler and gender performativity

Click the title above for an in-depth exploration of gender from the theorist themself!

• Performance 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
• Gender performativity is the ways in which our performance of gender affects the world around us

Getting Out In The Garden, Morning Routine & Children's Book Recommendations

Sugg's wholesome relationship with her daughter is constructed through MES, an unobtrusive editing style and post production colour grading that all encode 'authenticity'. The combination of codes constructs a hyperreal representation of motherhood. 

• Morning routine, makeup demonstrations and ‘day in the life’ montages are all highly conventional paradigms of the vlog as a genre. Zoella in many ways codified these features, which are now widely used by her competitors. However, more importantly, by presenting a voyeuristic montage of her daily life, Sugg demonstrates her ritualistic gender performance, which in turn performatively influences and constructs her devoted audience. 
• Sugg makes her daughter's beds, reinforcing the ideological perspective that Sugg is fulfilling her duties as a mother. This notion of mum’s even having duties is deeply sexist and patriarchal
• We see her skincare and makeup ritual, which reinforces an ideological perspective that to become hegemonically attractive to to be ready for the day
• She takes the dog out in to the garden, a bland and boring aspect of her routine that reinforces that the function of women in society is to be nurturing and caring
• Through these performances of gender, Sugg performatively encourages her target audience to copy her, thus reinforcing and cultivating an ideological perspective of a perfect and hyperreal mother. This clearly has repercussions for her target audience. 

Applying feminist theory to Zoella

 Liesbet Van Zoonen 

• women’s bodies are used as spectacles in media products. For example, heterosexual women may aspire to Zoella’s beauty standards. She also argues that gender is constructed through codes and media language, and that different genders are constructed in different ways.
• Women’s bodies are used in media products as a spectacle. For example the hegemonically attractive Zoe Sugg provides an aspirational mode of address for her straight female target audience
• Gender is constructed through media language and men and women and other genders are represented completely differently through media language 

bell hooks 

• feminism is for everyone. Intersectional feminism. Different women have different experiences. We should take an active role to challenge to patriarchal society 
• Feminism is for everybody. Different women have completely different experiences of life. 
• Intersectional feminism argues that all people are welcome in feminist discourse, including trans people 
• Feminists should challenge the patriarchy for the benefit of everybody 

Past paper question - Explore how representations in Zoe Sugg/Zoella may position audiences. [15]

My Newborn Favourites & Things I'll Use Again With Baby Number Two | Vlogust Day 20

• “Craters through the nips…”
• “My nipples were wrecked” - Here Sugg talks with absolute openness to her target audience of younger and middle aged women who relate to this representation of becoming a mother. Here Sugg takes the role of a wise mother, teaching her audience and sharing information. By discussing her ‘cratered nips’, Sugg is subverting hegemonic stereotypes of women and motherhood being a perfect and flawless experience. His is in stark contrast tov historical representations of women, they represented motherhood as a perfect and flawless experience
• Sugg’s lexis, ‘craters through the nips’ is highly visual and even potential disgusting, subverting hegemonic expectations of female beauty 
• However, Sugg’s dress DOES reinforce feminine hegemonic beauty stars, as it encodes a stereotypical representation of a mother. The dress is white, which is connotative of purity and innocence, conversely yet another hegemonic expectation of mothers. 
• Sugg’s necklace is pearl, which has connotations of a middle class and middle aged lifestyle. This reinforces Sugg’s middle class lifestyle, which also contradicts her previous representations, for example, as a Primark shopper
• Additionally, this conservative video is radically different from content on Zoella.co.uk that features tutorials on ‘how to squirt’ and reviews of sex toys. 
• This fractured set of representations is clearly postmodern. However, from a more straightforward perspective, Sugg is using conventional and hegemonic representations to conform to and to appeal to a simple and straightforward audience. In doing so, she appeals to her aging audience, and therefore minimises risk and maximises profit.
• This version of motherhood is not relatable to many audiences. The breast pump that she advocates is £250 new, and in combination with all the products that she is using, demonstrates a significant investment. By demonstrating all of these products, Sugg constructs a representation of motherhood as yet another consumerist experience, and an opportunity to buy yet more stuff. Arguably, rather than helping her audience, Sugg is using her platform to manipulate her working class target female audience in to buying things through affiliate links 
• Sugg’s voice takes the tone of a teacher, as someone knowledgeable who wishes to impart her knowledge. This constructs a representation of women being knowledgeable about motherhood and pregnancy, which constructs a highly stereotypical mode of address. 
• The stereotypical MES of Sugg’s dress constructs a hyperreal representation of a mother. For example, the colour white is connotative of innocence, purity, and virginity. This stereotypical construction of motherhood raises an issue, as in order to be a mother usually requires having sex. Additionally, this contradicts Sugg’s previous sex positive image, where on her blog, her team discuss female ejaculation and sex toy review. Not only does this allow active audiences to pick and mix which version of Zoella they wish to engage, it also presents a highly postmodern mode of address. 
• Sugg refers to her cracked and cratered nipples, presenting an unpleasant image for her target audience. This clearly subverts the stereotypical ideology that women’s bodies are used as a sexual spectacle. The lexis ‘my nipples were wrecked’ directly addresses a younger female and potentially mother audience, presenting a realistic and relatable mode of address to an audience who may have gone through this. 
• Previously, motherhood was constructed as a solely positive, yet Sugg constructs motherhood in a more complex and challenging way. Here Sugg constructs a realistic representation of motherhood, which will appeal to her target audience.
• Her very long hair is stereotypically feminine, hegemonically attractive, and constructs a hyperreal representation of women. Her makeup here is natural, and reflects her more mature and older brand identity. 
• The breast pump that Zoella advertises in this video has an RRP of 269 pounds. This is a substantial amount of money for a low income audience. Sugg advocates a consumerist lifestyle, where the audience can become a better mother through buying products. In doing so, she also profits off the fear and anxiety that first time parents face. 
• Zoe Sugg represents  a conservative, ‘trad wife’, representation of motherhood. She is white and middle class, and represents a very particular type of woman. 

Audience responses to Attitude Online

 How does Attitude Online…

…construct and cultivate its audiences?
…meet the needs of its audiences?
…target niche and diverse audiences?

For this activity, all articles were accessed on Tuesday 25th March 2025

Agatha All Along makes Marvel history with first lesbian kiss and fans are loving it

This article about a popular Marvel show focuses not on the narrative or genre conventions, but on the representation of lesbians. Firstly, this article may target a secondary lesbian and bisexual audience, and the number of embedded videos of the kiss seem to suggest. Additionally, the representation of queer people constructs an inclusive and intersectional approach to queer representation

Queer - this previously derogatory term has been reclaimed by some gay audiences, and is now used to represent the broadness of gender identity. 

Hungary bans Pride marches in latest crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights

The headline uses the specific lexis LGBTQ+, which assumes a level of knowledge for the target audience. This article focuses on the suppression of gay people in another country, and constructs a representation of gay people as powerless and vulnerable. There are many other articles that reinforce this representation. Articles such as this meet the needs of a gay audience by providing them with knowledge of the world around them. It imparts a straightforward message that Hungary is nopt accepting to gay people 

LGBTQ+ - Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, etc

Atzaró Agroturismo Hotel: a hidden jewel of serenity at the heart of Ibiza

This travel article constructs an escapist fantasy for the gay target audience of a place where prejudice does not occur. This relaxing and luxurious will appeal to the target audience through it’s appealing MES and middle class mode of address

New investigation uncovers one ambulance call a day due to chemsex in London

Chemsex refers to the practice of taking certain drugs that lower inhibitions increase libido before having sex. Taking hard drugs is very risky, can cause permanent damage, and cause issues in terms of consent. Articles such as this use exclusive lexis that exclusively target the gay community. This article fulfils the need for information.

Billie Eilish blasts questions about sexuality as she confirms: ‘I like boys and girls’

In this article, pop star Billie Eilish questions the needs for labels and sexual identity. This article constructs a complex representation of sexuality that appeals to the target audience by constructing a relatable mode of address for a younger demographic. 

Ian McKellen says it’s ‘silly’ for young actors to stay in closet

Here, veteran actor McKellen provides an experienced voice to the young gay target audience. He uses specific queer lexis such as “stay in the closet”, which refers to hiding one’s sexuality. By encouraging the young gay target audience to ‘come out’, this article constructs a direct mode of address, and also cultivates a positive ideology surrounding being gay

New research shows 75% of queer people ‘don’t consider chemsex a serious issue’

Chemsex refers to the use of hard drugs during sexual intercourse. It is not exclusive to the queer community, but is heavily associated with it. It also raises huge issues with consent. The article discusses the dangers of this, and the issue that a comparatively small number of queer people have heard of it. In this article, gay people are constructed through a social issue and problem, re-presenting gay people as vulnerable and sexually promiscuous. This article is exclusively targeting a queer audience who are aware of this practice.

Scottish party leaders call on government to introduce opt-out HIV testing in A&Es

HIV is a virus historically associated with the gay community. In the 1980s it was particularly affecting of the queer community. Here, being gay is represented as being vulnerable and being associated with tragedy and death 

1 in 5 LGBTQ+ people have been sexually assaulted in LGBTQ+ venues, new data finds

Articles such as this will allow victims of sexual assault to feel heard and represented, and it deals with an important issue. It also spreads awareness and provides the audience with information. Finally, articles such as these cultivate a sense of fear and anxiety to ensure more clicks and engagement.

Bright Light Bright Light to release Enjoy More: Listen to an exclusive track here

This New York based artist is constructed through the MES of rainbow colours, an effeminate pose, a crop top, jewellery, confident expression, his short shorts and his big mustache. His look is very camp and queer coded. This highly stereotypical representation of a gay male pop star cultivates a set of tastes and preferences for the gay male audience. Attitude is therefore constructing an audience who enjoy camp, 80’s style electro pop

Camp - a flamboyant, often ironic and over the top form of expression

Happy New Queer – Attitude’s New Year style guide is here

The lexis ‘queer’ here has been reclaimed and reappropriated by the LGBTQ+ community. Here, it means inclusion, positivity, and happiness. However some audiences may take offense at this. Though the term ‘queer’ is supposed to be intersectional. Yet the fashion in this article is exclusively high end and expensive, assuming the target audience have significant disposable income (the pink pound)