The idea that the media provides us with tools or resources that we use to construct our identities.
The idea that whilst in the past the media have tended to convey singular, straightforward messages about ideal male and female identities, the media today offers us a more diverse range of stars, icons and characters from who we may pick and mix different ideas.
Application:
1. Ideologies about appearance and consumerism creates the ideas of Zoe's life being a template as you can buy all the same products she uses and the same clothes she wears. You can recreate her life.
This can particularly be seen through the "Shop" section of her blog which advertises products she as affiliate links with. The same can be said about her vlogs and videos often include these links in the description.
This shows consumerist ideologies as a lot of the things she talks about in her vlogs and on her blog can be bought, which can also be seen through the "Style", "Beauty" and "Lifestyle" section on her blog. The fact that these are given their own sections on her blog shows the importance of these values to her and her content. As well as this, it suggests that these ideas are often discussed on her blog, so much that she needs to create a dedicated section for them.
Consumerist values are also emphasised through the "Weekly Wants" series of posts created on her blog where her team each discusses the items they want to buy in that week. This suggests that happiness in life can be bought and sold and that the audience can always do something to improve their appearance, whether that is through a new face cream of pair of shoes. The post is very image- heavy, with the concentration more on the images and appearance of the products, as well as the encouragement to buy the produced with "Shop The Post".
The idea of having Zoe's life as a template can be seen through the blogs she has created, such as "How To Be A Better Friend", which includes a life of things people can do to achieve this. This suggests that her template is something that should be followed and that she has the "correct" outlook on life.
2. The blog is used to bring oder to the audience's life through the posts.
This can be seen through the encouragement in a number of her posts on her blog to take part in organisation activities, particularly through the "Spring Cleaning Series". The fact that this is a series suggests the importance of these values. Throughout the blog, there are many images showing the audience what they should aspire for their home to look like, portraying Zoe's house as the ideal house. This can also relate back to the ideologies about appearance, as this blog reinforces that appearance is important in every aspect of life. The blog post can also relate to ideas about gender as she portrays a straightforward representation of female identities. Along this line, the post shows a traditional female representation of cleaning and being defined by the domestic. This would play a part in constructing the audience's identities as it provides them with what they should strive to be.
3. Zoe's blog makes it easier for the audience to Pick N Mix to construct their own identities.
The blog is divided into clear sections, allowing the audience to pick n mix representations. As well as this, it makes it easier for the audience to choose how they want to view Zoe, for example, if they view her as their role model in fashion, the audience would click on the "Style" section. Furthermore, on the homepage, each article is clearly defined by what section the post belongs to.
In each article, the genres rarely overlap, with beauty blogs only talking about beauty, and not including any lifestyle. This relates to Gauntlett's theory as the sections allow different representations and ideas to be brought forward, allowing the audience to pick n mix.
This is reinforced by the homepage still specifying which section the post belongs to, even when the homepage includes a number of different posts, they are still divided.
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