Paul Gilroy Blog Task

Paul Gilroy - blog task

Go to our Media Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive and open Factsheet 170: Gilroy – Ethnicity and Postcolonial Theory. Our Media Factsheet archive is on the Media Shared drive: M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets

Read the Factsheet and complete the following questions/tasks:

1) How does Gilroy suggest racial identities are constructed?

Paul Gilroy suggests that racial identities are historically constructed. He believes they were formed by the colonialization, slavery, nationalist philosophies and consumer capitalisation.

2) What does Gilroy suggest regarding the causes and history of racism?

Gilroy states that racial difference and racial identities are the product of racial oppression. Racialidentities are caused by historical conflicts that have brought differentgroups into opposition.

3) What is ethnic absolutism and why is Gilroy opposed to it?

Ethnic absolutism is a line of thinking which sees humans are part of different ethnic compartments, with race as the basis of human differentiation. 

4) How does Gilroy view diasporic identity?

Diaspora means a scattering of people, from the original place to elsewhere. Diasporas are considered to comprise of members ofethnic, cultural, linguistic and religious groups who live in countries to which their ancestors migrated. Identities of individuals within a diaspora are formed over time, as a result of the historical, social and cultural relationships within the group and other groups.

5) What did Gilroy suggest was the dominant representation of black Britons in the 1980s (when the Voice newspaper was first launched)?

Gilroy suggested that the dominant representation of black britons in the 1980s was that they weren't seen as good as white people or they weren't seen as good enough.

The dominant representation of black Britons was as “external and estranged from the imagined community that is the nation.” As such, to accept the role of slavery into the cultural identities of Britain would be to challenge the negative stereotype of black Britons at the time, and reverse the “external and estranged” relationship with the nation.

6) Gilroy argues diaspora challenges national ideologies. What are some of the negative effects of this?

Diaspora challenges national ideologies, through the commitment andloyalty to the origin nation or place. However, diasporic identities can also become trapped within a national ideology; diasporic cultural ideologies and practices exist within a national ideology based upon its social, economic and cultural integrations and as such there is a cultural difference with the diasporic identities.

7) Complete the first activity on page 3: How might diasporic communities use the media to stay connected to their cultural identity? E.g. digital media - offer specific examples.

Diasporic communities would use different social media platforms to stay connected to their cultural identity. 
8) Why does Gilroy suggest slavery is important in diasporic identity?

Gilroy also argues the importance of slavery to modernity and capitalism. The modern world was built upon a normalised view ofslavery, particularly plantation slavery. Slavery was only rejectedwhen it was revealed as incompatible with enlightened rationality andcapitalist production. Gilroy argues that the figure of the black slave of ‘the Negro’ provided enlightened thinkers and philosophers an insightinto concepts of property rights, consciousness and art.

9) How might representations in the media reinforce the idea of ‘double consciousness’ for black people in the UK or US?

These areas were often defined in relation to slavery or blackness;the philosopher Hegel theorised that the master/ slave relationshipwas ‘a modernising force in that it leads both master and servant firstto self-consciousness and then to disillusion.’ Gilroy claims that the inside/outside position of black people enabled writers and thinkers to question the liberty offered to white North Americans and Europeans.It ‘forced a special clarity of vision – a dreadful objectivity’ (Du Bois)as a result of being black and living in the modern world with a sense of double consciousness.

10) Finally, complete the second activity on page 3: Watch the trailer for Hidden Figures and discuss how the film attempts to challenge ‘double consciousness’ and the stereotypical representation of black American women.





The trailer for Hidden Figures successfully challenges the stereotypical representations of black women. They do this by giving black women a key role in NASA which is to calculate launch and landing. Not many women get a chance to work with NASA as it is predominantly men however, in this trailer, the black American women get the chance to prove themselves.

Teen Vogue Industry and social media

Teen Vogue: Industry and social media blog tasks

Create a new blogpost called 'Teen Vogue Industry and social media' and work through the following tasks to complete the final aspects of your Teen Vogue case study:

Industry: Condé Nast

1) Research Teen Vogue publisher Condé Nast. What other magazines do they publish and how much money did they make last year?

The other magazines Teen Vogue publishes are: Glamour, Gentleman's Quarterly, Architectural Digest, Wired, House & Garden, Conde Nast Traveller, Tatler and Vanity Fair. Last year Conde Nast revealed that revenue was down 6.6%, from £121m to £113m.

2) What are Teen Vogue’s main sources of income?

Teen Vogue's main sources of income are social media such as YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and their website.

3) How are traditionally print-based products like Teen Vogue diversifying to create new income streams?

They have successfully diversified and have moved online on to most social media platforms and they've gained a lot of followers, subscribers etc. which help them generate revenues through ads, sponsorship's and many other ways.


4) Why is sponsored content and ‘advertorial’ particularly important in media linked to the fashion industry?

It is important because readers who read about the Teen Vogue fashion and then see sponsorship's/adverts will most likely click on the advert or look into the sponsorship which could lead them to buying the product.

5) Do you view Teen Vogue’s content as a form of public service media or is Condé Nast simply interested in clicks and profit?

It could be argued that Conde Nast could simply be doing this just for the clicks and the profits because this has gained a large reach.


Closure of print edition research

Read the following short articles to learn the background to Condé Nast's decision to close the print edition of Teen Vogue in 2016 and then answer the questions below:

BBC: Teen Vogue: How will going online-only affect readers?
New York Times: Condé Nast Ends Teen Vogue’s Print Run
Folio: Your Teen Vogue Hot Takes Are All Wrong

1) Why does the BBC suggest “Teen Vogue’s digital game is strong”?

The BBC suggests that Teen Vogue's digital game is strong because it has a highly successful website along with six million Facebook likes and three and a half million Twitter followers. 

2) What does the BBC suggest is responsible for the Teen Vogue website’s success?

BBC suggests that Teen Vogue increased its political coverage and social activism in recent years while still delivering its entertainment, fashion and beauty content.
3) How did Teen Vogue justify the closure of the print magazine?

Teem Vogue clearly stated that they needed to 'modernise and calibrate' .

4) In the BBC article, David Hepworth suggests there is a risk to going digital-only. What is it?

David Hepworth suggests that the risk of going digital is the fact that you're no longer unique.

5) How do online-only publications make money?

Advertising online.

6) What does Sarah Penny suggest regarding audience consumption for print and digital – and how might it be changing for Generation-Z?

Sarah Penny suggests that generation Z has a much stronger connection with consuming online content compared to millennials.

7) What does the New York Times say Conde Nast is known for?

New York Times says that Conde Nast is known for its lavish spending and its visually rich glossy magazines.

8) The New York Times states that Conde Nast expects to bring in less revenue in 2017 than 2016… by how much?

$100 million less compared to 2016.

9) The Folio article also looks at the switch from print to digital. Pick out a statistic that justifies the digital-only approach.

Traffic surged from roughly 2 million monthly visitors to almost 9 million.

10) Finally, Folio also highlights some of the aspects we have studied elsewhere. Pick out two quotes from the article that link to our work on the Teen Vogue audience, representation or design.


“Teen Vogue has experienced tremendous audience growth across its digital, social and video platforms this past year. ” - This indicates how media in general is evolving and getting bigger.

“In one of my interviews, one of the questions was, how do you grow Teen Vogue from 2 million to 10 million a month? And [adding politics] was largely the answer.” -
Social media analysis

Work through the following tasks to complete your textual analysis of Teen Vogue's social media presence:

1) Look at the Teen Vogue Twitter feed (you don’t need to sign up to Twitter to see it but may need to log-in at home). How many followers does Teen Vogue have?

Teen Vogue has 3.3M followers on Twitter.

2) Now look at the content. Classify the first 20 tweets you can see using the sections on the Teen Vogue website: News & Politics, Fashion, Entertainment, Beauty, Lifestyle, Wellness and Homecoming. What does the Twitter feed focus on most? Does this differ to the website?

 Why would we settle for anything less at this point? Why not aim for a candidate who gets us fired up and ready to go?"- Politics 
"Working people are sick and tired of being exploited, of not seeing any pay increases, of having to pay more and more for the health care that they get....we’re seeing workers all over the country beginning to stand up to corporations." - Politics 
Weekly horoscopes are here!-Entertainment
Mark your calendars for the biggest debate...ever! #DemDebate-Politics
Have you seen it!?-Entertainment
sorry!(skin care products)- Beauty and Lifestyle
thank you, @theestallion-Entertainment, Lifestyle
Hi, Mosaic Blue!-Entertainment
Let the shopping begin.- Lifestyle
Cart = FULL!-Lifestyle
Found my new statement coat -Lifestyle
Get into it!-Politics
It's not easy, but that doesn't mean it's not possible.-Politics
Get familiar with @brentfaiyaz-Entertainment
Facts on facts on facts.-Politics 
This energy!-politics

3) How are the tweets and headlines written? Can you find examples of clickbait?

The tweets on twitter are written in first person so the audience feels like its actually someones real point of view.

4) How does the Twitter feed use videos and images?

Twitter uses videos and images in order to attract and engage audiences.

5) Analyse the Teen Vogue Facebook page. How many ‘likes’ and ‘follows’ do they have?

Over 5 million likes and followers on facebook.


6) Click on the Videos link on the left-hand menu. What type of content do the videos feature? Does this differ to the website or Twitter feed?

Twitter's content is more 'clickbait style' whereas, Facebooks style isn't. 

7) Now look at the Events tab to explore past events. What are these events and what do they tell us about how audiences interact with the Teen Vogue brand?

The events tab shows us that Teen Vogue is active in coming up with and creating new concepts. They make this available to their subscribers/readership across the United States. The fact that this can reach out to a wide audience across the states clearly illustrates that Teen Vogue will have a successful turn out.
8) Go to the Teen Vogue Instagram page. How many followers do they have on Instagram?

On Instagram, Teen Vogue has 2.7M followers.

9) How does the Instagram feed differ from other social media channels?

On Teen Vogues instagram, I'd say it is more fashion/beauty related and there is barely any relation to political content whereas, on different platforms you can clearly see that Teen Vogue is political.

10) What examples of digital convergence and synergy can you find on Teen Vogue social media including the Teen Vogue YouTube channel? (E.g. opportunities to engage with the brand across different platforms). 

Across all of Teen Vogue's social media platforms, they all have the same purpose.
They've successfully been able to post pictures and videos that appeal and target their target audience. 

Teen Vogue Audience and Representation

Audience

1) Analyse the Conde Nast media pack for Teen Vogue. What is the Teen Vogue mission statement and what does this tell us about the target audience and audience pleasures?

The Teen Vogue mission statement is to "educate, enlighten, andempower our audience to create a more inclusive environment (both on- and offline) byamplifying the voices of the unheard, telling stories that normally go untold, and providing resources for teens looking to make a tangible impact in their communities."

2) What is the target audience for Teen Vogue? Use the media pack to pick out key aspects of the audience demographics. Also, consider the psychographic groups that would be attracted to Teen Vogue: make specific reference to the website design or certain articles to support your points regarding this.

The target audience for Teen Vogue is 63% Gen Z/Millennials.
Teen Vogue has a total audience reach of 18.5M along. $11B spent on fashion and beauty.
Across platforms: 5.4M Digital, 13.1M Social and 24.4M Video.

3) What audience pleasures or gratifications can be found in Teen Vogue? Do these differ from the gratifications of traditional print-based magazines?

Regarding audience pleasures, the audience can develop personal relationships through Teen Vogue if their view is similar to Teen Vogue's view. For example, Teen Vogue talks about Donald Trump 'Gaslighting' America and the audience may agree with that.

4) How is the audience positioned to respond to political news stories?

The audience usually respond to political news via social media such as Twitter. They share their viewpoints on it by tweeting. Teen Vogue has a huge following on social media so they are able to engage with the news.

5) How does Teen Vogue encourage audiences to interact with the brand – and each other – on social media? The ‘tentpoles and editorial pillars’ section of the media pack may help with this question.

Teen Vogue encourages their audience to engage with their brand by having multiple digital and video series to encourage people to interact on multiple platforms.

Representations

1) Look again at the Conde Nast media pack for Teen Vogue. What do the ‘tentpoles and editorial pillars’ (key events and features throughout the year) suggest about the representation of women and teenage girls on teenvogue.com?

They focus on inspiring and encouraging women to make an impact on our society.

2) How are issues of gender identity and sexuality represented in Teen Vogue?

They are represented in a modern way. Teen Vogue doesn't treat it as an issue and are more open about it.

3) Do representations of appearance or beauty in Teen Vogue reinforce or challenge traditional stereotypes?

It challenges traditional stereotypes. Teen Vogue focuses on mixed/black women and presents them in a positive way. This is evidential, when you go on the home page of the Teen Vogue website you'll see different women with different ethnicities.

4) What is the patriarchy and how does Teen Vogue challenge it? Does it succeed? 

Patriarchy means that men dominate society and that females are their subordinates. Teen Vogue challenges this view and is successful in doing so.

5) Does Teen Vogue reinforce or challenge typical representations of celebrity?

Teen Vogue challenges typical representations of celebrities because Teen Vogue doesn't objectify them nor do they focus on the bad things and criticise them, instead Teen Vogue focuses on the good things.

Feature: how Teen Vogue represents the changing nature of media aimed at women

Read this Quartz feature - The true story of how Teen Vogue got mad, got woke, and began terrifying men like Donald Trump - and answer the following questions:

1) How was the Teen Vogue op-ed on Donald Trump received on social media?

People praised Teen Vogue for doing what they did. The audience had a very similar view point to Teen Vogue as they said Donald Trump was "Gaslighting America"

2) How have newspapers and magazines generally categorised and targeted news by gender?

Men are usually covered on topics which are business or finance related whereas, women are covered on topics which are fashion related.

3) How is this gender bias still present in the modern media landscape?

Personally, I think that gender bias is only seen on magazines which are specifically targeted to a certain gender e.g. Men's Health is specifically targeted to men and the front cover is of men who are bodybuilders.

4) What impact did the alternative women’s website Jezebel have on the women’s magazine market?

Jezbel had all sorts of news to offer such as politics and also entertainment and fashion.

5) Do you agree with the writer that female audiences can enjoy celebrity news and beauty tips alongside hard-hitting political coverage? Does this explain the recent success of Teen Vogue?

I strongly agree with the writer that the reason Teen Vogue has become extremely successful is because of the content it has to offer. It doesn't just solely focus on fashion.

6) How does the writer suggest feminists used to be represented in the media?

The writer suggests that feminists were being presented in the media as fools. They were mostly objectified and sexualised in the media.

7) What is the more modern representation of feminism? Do you agree that this makes feminism ‘stereotyped as fluffy’?

I disagree with the statement 'stereotyped as fluffy', I personally think that feminists are just more open.

8) What contrasting audience pleasures for Teen Vogue are suggested by the writer in the article as a whole?

Despite the audience being interested in e.g. fashion news, they're still exposed to other news e.g. political and can still be engaged in it.

9) The writer suggests that this change in representation and audience pleasures for media products aimed at women has emerged from the feminist-blog movement. How can this be linked to Clay Shirky’s ‘end of audience’ theory?

Clay Shirky highlights how we all create our own media and we share our ideas. The 'End Of Audience' theory links to the idea of mass communication and the concept of audiences no longer being reliant on the media.

10) Is Teen Vogue simply a product of the Trump presidency or will websites and magazines aimed at women continue to become more hard-hitting and serious in their offering to audiences?

In my opinion, I think that Teen Vogue is simply a product of the Trump presidency as their 'Gaslighting America' news story has given them a lot more recognition.

Teen Vogue: background reading

Teen Vogue: background reading

Read this Guardian feature from 2017 on Teen Vogue and answer the following questions.

1) What was the article that announced Teen Vogue as a more serious, political website – with 1.3m hits and counting?

The article in question was an impassioned op-ed by 25-year-old Lauren Duca, a Teen Vogue contributing editor and award-winning writer for the likes of Vice and the New Yorker. “To gaslight is to psychologically manipulate a person to the point where they question their own sanity, and that’s precisely what Trump is doing to this country,”

2) When was the original Teen Vogue magazine launched and what was its original content?

The original Teen Vogue magazine was launched in 2004. Teen Vogue used to focus on the standard cocktail of fashion must-haves and celebrities.

3) How did editor Elaine Welteroth change Teen Vogue’s approach in 2015?

Elaine Welteroth changed Teen Vogue's approach in 2015 by including beauty within Teen Vogue.

4) How many stories are published on Teen Vogue a day? What topics do they cover?

Teen Vogue publishes 50 to 70 stories a day. The topics they cover are fashion, entertainment and current affairs.

5) What influence did digital director Phillip Picardi have over the editorial direction?

Picardi is dressed in slim-fit jeans and a navy shirt by Dries van Noten, his boyband looks dominated by luminous, aquamarine eyes

6) What is Teen Vogue’s audience demographic and what does ‘woke’ refer to?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes the word “woke”, a slang term, as “a byword for social awareness.” The "sweet spot" for Teen Vogue's audience is 18-24.

7) What issues are most important to Teen Vogue readers?

“Identity is big. We want to help make them feel better about themselves, whether that’s giving beauty tips, or empowering them with political information to have smarter conversations and feel they can stand up for themselves.” Career advice “is an evergreen topic”; above all, “young people are craving something real, craving authenticity”.

8) What does Tavi Gevinson suggest regarding the internet and ‘accountability culture’ with regards to modern audiences? Can you link this to our work on Clay Shirky?

She believes the internet has created an “accountability culture”, where the relationship with readers is closer and more transparent, and says brands have had to respond to that.

9) What social and political issues have been covered successfully by Teen Vogue?

Coming in the wake of a summer of social and political unrest, Trump’s election created something of a perfect storm for Picardi’s new political agenda.

10) What do Teen Vogue readers think of the magazine and website?

"I talked to 16-year-old Paige Wagner, who says truthfulness and trust are the main reasons she reads it, since “most of what I read on social media is unreliable”

Teen Vogue textual analysis and example articles

Work through the following tasks to complete your textual analysis of the Teen Vogue website and read notable Teen Vogue articles to refer to in exam answers. 

Homepage analysis

Go to the Teen Vogue homepage and answer the following:

1) What website key conventions can you find on the Teen Vogue homepage?

One of the website key conventions that is shown on the Teen Vogue homepage is the Teen Vogue branding on the top left of the website. Teen Vogue also have the top menu bar which directs the website viewers to their specific needs of when visiting the website. Below the top menu bar there is an advert of the Teen Vogue app which is available for download from the app store.

2) How does the page design encourage audience engagement?

The layout of the Teen Vogue website is easily accessible for the audience to read. It is very similar to instagram and twitter, when you go on the teen vogue website you can scroll down to find out the latest news etc.

3) Where does advertising appear on the homepage?

On the Teen Vogue website, there is only one advert bar which is underneath the top menu bar.

4) What are the items in the top menu bar and what does this tell you about the content of Teen Vogue?

The top menu bar has the following: Style, Politics, Culture, Identity, Summit

This suggests that Teen Vogue aren't just focused on fashion, they offer more than just fashion.

5) How far does the homepage scroll down? How many stories appear on the homepage in total?

The homepage continuously goes down, there is no limit. There is definitely more than 20 stories on the homepage in total.

Lifestyle section

Now analyse the Lifestyle section of Teen Vogue (in the Identity section) and answer the following:

1) What are the items in the top menu bar for the Lifestyle section?

These are the items: Tech, Campus Life, Careers, Decorating Ideas, Food.

2) How is the Lifestyle section designed to encouragement audience engagement? Think about page design, images, text and more.

The headlines of the article are linked to the top menu of the lifestyle section.

3) What do you notice about the way headlines are written in Teen Vogue?

The headlines are written as short descriptions rather than actual headlines. This is done to notify the audience about a specific story rather than make it humorous.

4) What does the focus on education, university and ‘campus life’ tell you about the Teen Vogue audience demographics and psychographics?

Demographics: Particularly a young educated audience. Most probably an ABC1 audience.
Psychographics: Succeeders, Aspirers and Achievers.

5) Choose three stories featured in the Lifestyle section – why do they fit the Teen Vogue brand?

10 Best Places To Study Abroad: Our Favourite Study-Abroad Cities:
This particular article focuses on giving students advice on whether they want to study abroad or not. Teen vogue educates the audience about this which supports their mission statement: Educating the audience. Teen Vogue successfully does this by giving their suggestions and recommendations of what's students should go for.

Five key articles

Read the following five notable Teen Vogue features then answer the questions below for EACH feature.

Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America

The new face of teen activism 

Black Teens Have Been Fighting for Gun Reform for Years

Netflix and strong female leads 

How to Break Away From the Gender Binary

For each article:

Donald Trump Is Gas Lighting America

1) Who is the writer and what is the article about?

The writer for this article is Laura Duca.

The article is about the impact Donald Trump has had on America and how he is 'gaslighting' America.

2) How does the article use narrative to engage the reader? Try and apply narrative theory here if possible.

Donald Trump successfully manipulates people in order to gain people on his side.

3) Why is this article significant?

The article is extremely significant because it highlights how Donald Trump has caused chaos ever since becoming the president of America.

4) How does this article reflect the values and ideologies of the modern Teen Vogue?

Teen vogue's audience is left wing. They would strongly disagree with Trump.

How To Break Away From The Gender Binary

1) Who is the writer and what is the article about?

The writer for this article is Samantha Riedel.
This article is about getting rid of gender roles.

2) How does the article use narrative to engage the reader? Try and apply narrative theory here if possible.

It highlights to readers how to standardise gender roles.

3) Why is this article significant?

This article is significant because it is a social change and thats exactly what Teen Vogue is trying to do, move away from fashion.

4) How does this article reflect the values and ideologies of the modern Teen Vogue?

Teen vogue is supportive for all people of all sexuality, genders, ethnicity and background.

Black Teens Have Been Fighting For Gun Reform For Years

1) Who is the writer and what is the article about?

The writer for this article is Lincoln Blades.
The article is about the struggle for teenagers in America regarding gun control.

2) How does the article use narrative to engage the reader? Try and apply narrative theory here if possible.

This has been reported in the media for a long period of time.

3) Why is this article significant?

This article is about teenagers and how they want to subvert stereotypes by standing up for their country etc.

4) How does this article reflect the values and ideologies of the modern Teen Vogue?

This successfully links back to Teen Vogues target audience which is a teenage audience. 

The New Face Of Teen Activism

1) Who is the writer and what is the article about?

The writer of this article is Alexis Manrodt
This article is about the role of the digital media.

2) How does the article use narrative to engage the reader? Try and apply narrative theory here if possible.


Todorov's Equilibrium Theory. Teen Vogue are in attempt to be more progerssive. 

3) Why is this article significant?

The article is extremely significant because it highlights how the digital media is having a impact on today's behaviour.

4) How does this article reflect the values and ideologies of the modern Teen Vogue?

It reflects that Teen Vogue is a woke brand.

Netflix And Strong Female Leads

1) Who is the writer and what is the article about?

The writer for this article is De Elizabeth. This article is about how Netflix has helped subvert female stereotypes.

2) How does the article use narrative to engage the reader? Try and apply narrative theory here if possible.

Women were mostly sexualised in the media/television before however, now they play more dominant roles.

3) Why is this article significant?

This article is significant because it clearly illustrates that the digital media can clearly have an impact on our society.

4) How does this article reflect the values and ideologies of the modern Teen Vogue?

Once again, it shows that Teen Vogue is clearly a woke brand and they're aware of what they're doing.