Online Media - Zoella, Hyperreality, Hypermodal

Online Media - Zoella, Hyperreality, Hypermodal

Codes and conventions of a vlog: 

• Unscripted.
• Someone talking to a camera, direct mode of address.
• Static camera, single shot, the person takes a centre shot.
• Minimalist setting.
• Highkey lighting.
• Emphasis of face.
• Informal lexis, friendly mode of address.
• Music featured is usually royalty free.
• This is to create a relatable experience for the audience.

'HUGE Primark Haul | Zoella'

• Direct mode of address - eye contact with the camera .
• Facial expression - she is smiling.
• Her expressions are expressive and we can tell she is excited.
• One of the primary conventions of vlogs is an emphasis on the personality of the presenter or the blogger. This is reinforced and emphasised throughout the video through the consistent use of static camera angles and use of close up shots of the vlogger. This in turn creates a sense of identity and engagement for the young female target audience.
• She is expressive with her hands and facial expression, open hands and face makes her welcoming. Breaks the fourth wall by talking the the audience as showing her items so we can see the items.
• This may make her look inauthentic as she is exaggerating and acting 'fake' with enthusiasm.
• Zoella presents a binary opposition between fantasy and reality, she is a real woman who engages her audience by being real and authentic, however, also presents a carefully constructed and entirely 'fake' and inauthentic representation for her target audience to identify with.

• Zoella presents her audiences with a utopian fantasy which allows them to escape from their boring everyday life.
• She represents a hyperreal representation to her target audience, a fake world, where the fantasy is more important and more real than who who she actually is.
• Jean Braudrillard argues that there is no difference between representation and reality, as it is impossible to distinguish between them.
• We live our lives wrapped in a fantasy, and Zoella allows us to escape in to her perfectly constructed fantasy world, if only for 15 minutes.

• Brand identity - The ways in which audiences can identify a media product and differentiate between media products based on their ideologies. This is through profit and engagement - the audience takes action with the media product. 
• Online media is completely based around a philosophy of engagement to maximise profit through monetisation.
• We can see this through links and hyperlinks, the internet is a hypermodal media platform that offers audiences a vast range of experiences. In order for monoline media products to ensure profit, they must engage with target and secondary audiences. The internet is distracting, we may watch a Zoella video where she is collaborating with another Youtuber and we may watch them, click another link etc.