convergent technologies such as social media, smart phones, etc have led to the development of online bloggers and vloggers
the availability of phone cameras and the ability to upload videos directly on to YouTube from a phone or laptop has led anyone to be able to become a "vlogger"
the global and sharable nature of online media means that bloggers and vloggers can reach massive audiences
in her early years as a vlogger, Zoella branded herself as being relatable and "normal"
she used everyday mise-en-scene to create a "girl next door" branding
a lot of vloggers use Multi-Channel Networks - companies which act as a middle man between companies and brands
vloggers will not have to create contact with companies as these MCNs do this for them, in return for a percentage of the profit, usually 30%
joining an MCN can benefit a vlogger as their content can be promoted to a much wider audience
members of the MCN can promote each other's channels
MCNs can also assist vloggers with production as they often have their own team of specialist video production staff, as well as studios and equipment
studios, cameras, creative employees, etc
increases profit and increases production value of your videos
some might say that her immense wealth now has had an impact on the production values of her videos and the monetisation has changed the focus of them
the desperate need to stay monetised and make profit means that Zoella and her team have to carefully consider everything she posts to maximise revenue
the media language changes as she has to consider how to monetise this content
Hesmondhalgh believes that to maximise profit, a producer should copy an existing successful format rather than making something different or original
Zoe Sugg also creating a More Zoella helps her to make even more money out of her existing successful brand
due to decline in traditional media products, brands have turned to advertising online instead
the Advertising Standards Authority regulate online ads, including paid for promotions by celebrities such as Zoella
bloggers have to make it clear to viewers if they have been paid to promote something
usually by using hashtags such as #sponsored or specifically saying "paid for promotion", or by mentioning the links are affiliate
many bloggers including Zoella have been in trouble in the past for not making it clear when a promotion has been paid for
Although the ASA regulate online adverts, there is no regulatory body for social media content in general
most social media pages like YouTube "self-regulate" by having their own rules about what people can post, and relying on either users, or algorithms to check content
due to the vast number of global users and posts, it's impossible to ensure that content doesn't breach the guidelines sometimes
the problem with this form of regulation is that content that breaches regulations is often seen by millions before it is reported and removed
regulating online content is very hard as it's virtually impossible to permanently remove something once it's been posted
her vlog whilst driving caused a lot of bad publicity including a public telling off by the police
online bloggers have to be careful not to post anything that is going to be offensive as this may cause bad publicity, risking sponsorship deals and possible demonetisation
so bloggers like Zoella try to stay quite "family friendly" in terms of content (e.g no swearing, no sexually suggestive content, etc
whilst Zoella no longer belongs to the Style Haul Network (it closed down), she now has her own company A-Z Creatives, giving her her own team of staff to help run her channels
she runs this with Alfie Deyes and they are based in Brighton
During 2020, the UK government offered a "furlough" scheme to struggling businesses, allowing them to claim money to pay their staff with
Zoella caused controversy when she used the furlough scheme to pay her office manager who earned around £25,000 a year despite being worth £4.7 million herself
some people were angry that the scheme was being "abused" by millionaires who could clearly afford to pay their staff anyway
her old blog site was more personal and informal reflecting her own individual contribution as a solo blogger
her new website reflects her new status as a "brand". Instead of writing in first person, posts are written from the perspective of "we" reflecting a more corporate approach
has she lost her individuality in return for profit and power?
she focuses on pushing her merchandise in posts because diversifying into other synergetic products helps to reduce risk and increase profit
Zoella has diversified into publishing too as she has written several books
Girl Online was one of the fastest selling debut novel by any author of all time
Zoe Sugg was a "ghost writer" though as she did not actually write the novel herself
Sugg cofounded the editing app "Filmm" which has over 1 million downloads on the app store
collaborations with other celebrities are a popular way of strengthening a vloggers fanbase
this means they can tag each other and appear on different channels
fan opinion is hugely important for vloggers
Zoella has come under fire in the past when fans have been disappointed with her projects or products
for example, the advent calendar
Zoella publicly addressed the complaints in a video and blamed the price on a decision made by Boots rather than her
Zoella and other vloggers regularly attend fan conventions such as VidCon
fans pay to attend these to meet celebrity vloggers, get autographs, etc
Curran and Seaton suggest that media companies are often focuses entirely on profit and power
some Zoella content might seem to be more than that (e.g her mental health work and being in Band Aid, as well as Bake Off for Comic Relief)
some cynical people might suggest that these projects were done for self promotion
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