Zoella CSP

1) Who is Zoella and why is she famous? How many subscribers does Zoella's YouTube channel have currently?
Zoella is a youtube famous beauty blogger and vlogger/ digital influencer who's channel currently has 12 million subscribers on youtube.

2) What is convergence?
Convergence is when distinct forms of media merge and thus the consumer and producer roles combine.

3) What are Zoella's videos about? Find five video titles and write them here:
Zoella's videos are about beauty tips, DIY projects and vlogging her daily life with her associates like best friend and fellow youtube beauty and life vlogger Louise Pentland (SprinkleofGlitter) and boyfriend Alfie Deyes(PointlessBlog)

4) What are the codes and conventions of vlogging videos?
Several jump cuts, text on-screen and in some cases background music and they are often personal and informal, taking place in her bedroom.

.5) How does Zoella use media language choices to create her online identity? Write about Zoella's use of mise-en-scene (CLAMPS) - particularly costume and make-up. Zoella uses costume and makeup to construct her image as a down to earth, relatable, girl next door. She usually goes for the 'natural look' and wears feminine pastel clothing to emphasise her innocent and normal internet persona.

Industries

1) How does Zoella make money?
One way Zoella makes money is by the use of youtube pre-roll adverts, which she has the power to select and place anywhere in her vlog, her blog with 7.4 million views and £4,000 from adverts, sponsorships where companies will pay a hefty amount for Zoella to advertise their product to the teenage audience

.2) What is a digital influencer? Why is Zoella considered a digital influencer?
A digital influencer is someone who's content is sponsored by a company in exchange for them to influence their audience to buy the product. Zoella is an influencer because she has had these kinds of partnerships with a plethora of brands including Glossier.
3) Why do companies want to place their products in Zoella's videos?
Zoella's videos appeal to a majority teenage audience that is difficult to advertise to elsewhere because they don't watch television as much as they used to or read magazines.4) Why are YouTube collaborations so important for helping digital influencers like Zoella to grow?
YouTube collaborations mean that fans of the person Zoella is collaborating with will become fans of Zoella by association.5) How has Zoella moved into a more traditional media landscape in recent years?
As Zoella has become more famous, she has made more appearances on TV, in magazines and newspapers.

Audience

1) Who is the target audience for Zoella's channel?

Zoella's target audience consists of females aged 12-16 who have a mainstreamer personality type 

2) How are audiences encouraged to participate in or feel part of Zoella's brand? 
Audiences are encouraged to participate in Zoella's brand by buying from her makeup brand, going on her blog and following her social media accounts.

3) What audience pleasures are provided by Zoella's videos and associated products?

Personal identity, for young British teenagers, information and surveillance, as she teaches her audience life hacks, DIY tips and makeup techniques.

4) Applying Stuart Hall's Reception theory, what would a preferred and oppositional reading of Zoella?
A preferred reading of Zoella is that she is a realistic, down to earth and hardworking role model for young girls as she built her brand on her own and gained success. An oppositional reading of Zoella would be that she is hypocritical and untruthful and this down to earth, kind person that she portrays is a facade proven by her previous homophobic tweets and the ghostwriter scandal. 

5) Why has Zoella been criticised by some people?
In 2017, she had to issue a public apology for mocking gay people and 'chavs' in tweets from 2009-2012
Representations

Read this Independent article arguing Zoella is a bad role model for young women.

Next, read this Independent article arguing the opposite. 

1) What is your opinion on this debate - is Zoella a positive role model for young women?
I think that she is a negative role model for young girls as she encourages them to go into a similar career as her but going viral is mostly about luck and it is an unrealistic aspiration for young girls. Furthermore, she is untruthful and exploitative as she lied about writing her book charged £50 for a 12-day advent calendar in an example of a gift was a packet of confetti.

 2) What representations of women are provided by Zoella?
Women are represented as innovative, as Zoey did set up her brand on her own but some may argue that sh reinforces the stereotype that women are superficial.3) What representations of celebrity are provided by Zoella? Is a self-made YouTube celebrity more authentic or positive than traditional music or TV stars?

4) How does Zoella represent herself? Is this the real Zoe Suggs or a media construction designed to sell products? 
I think that Zoella constructs her image carefully, editing her videos painstakingly to make sure she comes across as relatable and shoots most videos in a reasonably normal looking bedroom in her wonderfully furnished enormous house.

5) What criticisms could be levelled at the representation of Zoella? 
 Although Zoella is an amazing businesswoman, she never represents herself as particularly clever, it isn't part of her brand. Every time she made an intelligent statement on her loose women segment it was followed by a giggle to make it seem less important.

Grade 8/9 extension tasks: reading and response

Read this Telegraph article introducing Zoella from a parents' perspective. Why does the article suggest Zoella is a positive role model for young women?


Read this Telegraph article on Zoella's success. How does Zoella's success reflect the changing nature of media industries and how brands connect with audiences?

Statement of intent

Statement of intent

I intend to make a scene of a phone call in D Block and in the hills where the main character receives a phone call expressing a concern that there was a gas leak in C block that is creating a horrible epidemic and the main character , as the best chemistry student in the school must come up with an antidote and save all the teachers. I intend to make it a two way phone conversation to express the worry in the friend's voice. I intend to use a plethora of extreme close ups, long shots, medium shots and over the shoulder shots.

Casting

Main Character : Lola Heath Unnamed Bestie: Isha Chana

Script

Unnamed Bestie: Mae! A horrible epidemic has broken out, a student was messing about with the gas tap and the teachers all went pale and fainted, their blood circulation has cut off and I think some kind of HPV has broken out on their skin!

Mae: How am I supposed to help, I have no idea where the beryllium is for the antidote!

Unnamed Bestie: Do something, you are the best Chemistry student in the whole school, the teachers are down, we need you!

Mae: I'm on my way, hold on!

Kim Kardashian Hollywood CSP

Language

1) What is the objective when playing the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game?
The objective of Kim Kardashian : Hollywood is tyo become an A-list celebrity

2) What is an A-list celebrity? Why is it important in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?
An A-list celebrity is a household name or a celebrity which most people have heard of, have a strong opinion on and a person in which the majority of people could name a peice of their work

3) How do you download the Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game?
 This game can be downloaded on the app-store on apple devices and the play- store on android devices via phone or tablet.

4) What is the narrative or storyline of Kim Kardashian: Hollywood? Where is it set?
The narrative of the game follows your charecter, a young hopeful trying to make it as a celebrity complete tasks to get them closer to stardom. It is set mostly in North America in luxury locations like Downtown LA, Hollywood and Beverly Hills but as you advance in the game you can fly to places like Sydney, Florence and Dubai.

5) What characters can you play as? What characters appear in the game?

You can play as either a male or a female of any race that is supposed to represent the player, all kinds of celebrities appear in the game from E- listers to A- listers. A key D-lister in the game is D-lister Willow Pape, your arch rival that is determined to destroy your reputation as revenge because she believes your charecter flirted with her boyfriend.

Audience

1) Who is the intended audience for the Kim Kardashian Hollywood game? Why do you think this?

Although at first glance, one would assume the target audience is majority female adults, I think the target audience is majority female young preteens and teenagers because in the advert's small print it says that the play should ask the credit/debit card holder's permission before buying virtual goods or experiences in the game which means that it is targeted towards children.
ed towards an audience which doesn't have control over money and so has to be under the age of 18.

2) What audience pleasures are provided by the game? Use Blumler & Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory.
Diversion and entertainment,  because it transports the player into the world of stardom instead of their monogomous every day life. Information and education because the player actually learns about the way in which celebrity couples for example are used to boost fame as swell as social media feuds. 3) Why is the game so addictive for audiences?

In higher levels when completing a task that is bound to increase fame and one runs out of energy, the player is drawn back to the game after a certain amount of time because they want to finish the task and if they don't, there are negative cons
equences like bad reviws on social media which leads to the loss of fans which will make it harder for the player to achieve the goal of becoming an A-list celebrity.Read this article from Forbes on why the Kim Kardashian game is so successful. If the website is blocked in school, you can access the text of the article here.

4) Why does James Liu think Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is so successful?
James Liu thinks Kim Kardshian \Hollywood is successful because of its many game features that make it addictive, such as the timer feature that makes players want to come back when their energy is refilled to complete tasks.***5) What does James Liu suggest is the reason players keep coming back to the game?
***
Representations

1) What representations of women can be found in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?
Women are represented as self-centred, shallow, obsessed with their appearance (physical and how they appear in public) and in some ways dependant to men as the rise to fame is made easier if you have a boyfriend who is more famous than you but in some ways empowering because you can network with other powerful women or date a woman to rise to fame, so it isn't neccesary to use a man to become more famous.

2) What representations of race, ethnicity or sexuality can be found in the game?
The game is very diverse, you have the option to enter an interracial couple or a same sex couple and you can choose from many skin tones and one of the free default hairstyles in an afro hairstyle where usually you would have to earn and buy this 'privellige' in other similar games.3) How does the game both reinforce and subvert stereotypes in the media?

4) What does the game suggest regarding modern perceptions of celebrity and how to get famous?

The game suggests that in modern society you don't need any particular talent in order to get famous but rather engage in twitter feuds and fi

5) How might someone criticise the representation of celebrity in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?

Your avatar becomes famous through reality television, advertising and modelling shoots rather than being a talanted actor/actress a talented entertainer- a singer or dancer or an athlete which sjows that now many people are famous for no reason, many people may have that opinion of Kim Kardashian herself.
Industries

1) How much does Kim Kardashian: Hollywood cost?
 The game is free to download but there are many adverts inbetween tasks and many in app purchases and sponsorships, for example to get more stars the player can play other games or promote a certain brand to get the stars to buy designer clothing or an apartment or a pet. 2) How does the game make money?

3) What subscriptions are available to Kim Kardashian: Hollywood?
The bronze silver and gold supscriptions are available and these give the player outfits, stars, money and enery=gy to make their rise to stardom easier.4) How was Kim Kardashian: Hollywood marketed and promoted?

5) How does Kim Kardashian: Hollywood use media convergence to cross-promote the game and the Kardashian brand?


Grade 8/9 extension tasks: reading and response

Read this Independent article on the Kardashians and celebrity culture. Why does the academic Dr Meredith Jones think the Kardashians are important to study?

Read this Stylecaster article on 5 things we learned playing Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. How does the game encourage players so spend real money on in-app purchases?

Read this article on Glu Mobile, the game developer behind Kim Kardashian: Hollywood. What does the article say about targeting female gamers and using celebrity to sell the game?

Read this Guardian article on a Kardashian controversy regarding promoting products on Instagram. Why do some people regard Kardashian as a "toxic influence"?