OSP: Teen Vogue - background and textual analysis

 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?

Trump gaslighting America

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

It launched in 2004 and it featured a lot of fashion-based content, focusing on beauty and celebrities.

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

Focused on black empowerment and feminism

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

between 50 and 70 a day, they present a typically mixed bag of fashion, entertainment and current affairs.

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

He wanted to give the reader more, more about what they wanted to read. Not what some old people thought young girls should read

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

Their key demographic is 18-24. Woke is a byword for political ans social awareness.

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

contemporary issues, often involved with social activism. 

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?

“Now they’ve successfully rebranded themselves to appear in opposition to toxic ideas and beauty standards.”

She suggests that we contribute to what the media produces. TV listen to their audience and they react with swift effect. This could support Shirky's theory that we have become the producers of the content we consume.

The relationship between the consumer and the producer is much closer and transparent with "accountability culture" 

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

- Trump's various scandals

- Racial activism

- Gender activism

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

"most of what I read on social media is unreliable”. For her, “The recent presidential election brought to the surface a lot of important issues that weren’t getting as much attention as they should have: women’s rights, LGBTQ community rights, immigration.” Like many young people, Wagner is galvanised by the election, in which she saw “a complete misrepresentation of the younger generation. It’s important now to educate young minds so they can form a political identity. We are the future of America.”

Teen Vogue: Factsheet Part 1

Read Media Factsheet #200 Teen Vogue - Part 1. You can find the Factsheet in our Factsheet archive on the Media Shared drive in school or download it here using your Greenford Google login. Answer the following questions: 

1) The Factsheet suggests Teen Vogue has successfully made the transition to an online, social and participatory product. Why? What platforms is it now available on?

Because they target topics that gain traction quickly online. It connects with its readers better than most platforms of that calibre do. It's all over social media, Intsgram, Twitter and others.

2) Look at the screenshots and details on pages 3-4 of the Factsheet. What does Teen Vogue offer its audience?

They offer a diverse range of fashion news, activism updates and empowering articles that make their readers form a decent relationship with TV.

3) Who is the typical Teen Vogue reader?

The reader of TeenVogue in traditional terms is the 18-24

demographic, millennials with an interest in popular culture,

current affairs and issues of identity and lifestyle. For Elaine

Welteroth, editor of TeenVogue (2016-18), it was important that

TeenVogue “ages up” as the audience was not all teens. This

was reflected by those on the staff of TeenVogue. In an interview

with the Guardian (Feb 2017) Welteroth defined the TeenVogue

reader: “our sweet spot is 18-24… genderless. It’s more about a

sensibility. This is somebody who is sophisticated, conscious. We

say ‘woke’ here. We’re a woke brand, and our readers are woke

too.”

4) Read the content analysis of the Teen Vogue website on page 5 of the Factsheet. Pick out three key examples of how meanings are created in Teen Vogue and what is communicated to the audience.

They use iconograhpy to portray the activists as educated and intellectual

They use a blend of popular topics and niche topics to bring in a diverse range of readers

They use questions as their headlines for politics as they don't want to be radically political as opposed to an opinion, the latter is what is done by TV.

5) Finally, look at pages 6-7 focusing on representations. What range of representations can be found in Teen Vogue and what does this suggest regarding Teen Vogue's values and ideologies?

A diverse range of gender and race

they VIEW WOMEN S EMPOWERMENT AS OPPOSED TO SEX SYMBOLS

a positive representation of activism as a changing and powerful force

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?

Header image for articles, range of topics including politics, Halloween and music

2) How does the page design encourage audience engagement?

Simple yet inviting layout, the use of the 'read more' buttons, articles with a personal question

3) Where does advertising appear on the homepage?

at the top, maybe suggesting that they need some extra money where they can get any

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

Politics, style, culture, identity and summit - tells me that they cover a wide range of topics and cater o a more female market

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

there is quite a few stories here, suggesting that their target audience will be used to scrolling a lot and being bored, thus creating more popular

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?

fashion, beauty, shopping, features and prom

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

There is the front image which is very large and catches readers attention. The font is quite simple and is very friendly rather than official, compared to the NYT. The image placement is that from social media, creating a small social platform with the article itself.

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

They're either questions or statements, leading the reader to believe that they either agree or disagree with them.

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

Their readership are preparing for adult life in the 'real world' so the website aims to educate them about it.

5) Choose one story featured in the Lifestyle section and explain how reflects the Teen Vogue brand.

- James Charles talking about botox

- uses star power, it's about beauty which is a common interest between readers, it has an intriguing headline.

Teen Vogue: Five key articles

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

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

1) What do you notice about the content and style of these articles? What do they have in common? 

They all are from a liberal stance, catering towards young people

2) How do the articles use narrative to engage the reader? Try and apply narrative theory here if possible - what makes the reader want to click or read more?

enigma and action codes - engages reader to read further

Propp's character theory - villain (Trump)  makes people interested in what he has done

3) Pick a quote from each article that illustrates the political, 'woke' ideology of Teen Vogue and paste it here.

"His rise to power has awakened a force of bigotry by condoning and encouraging hatred, but also by normalizing deception"

"I found myself drawn to posts about gender biases and links to stories about girls who were denied proper contraceptive care"

"Some even participated in President Donald Trump's "listening session", during which survivors of the shooting told their stories and offered their ideas on policies that could prevent further tragedies"

"People like to label women and put them in two categories."

"Cis folks, I get that you want to celebrate the births of your children, but I thought that was what baby showers were for. You really need to invite everyone you know over to drop confetti and talk avidly about your unborn child’s maybe-vagina? (I assume that’s what happens at these shindigs.)"

4) What effect on the audience are these articles hoping to achieve?

It  makes them more likely to relate to the information in the articles and perhaps apply this info to a real life setting.

5) How do these article reflect the values and ideologies of the modern Teen Vogue?

- they want to be big in activism which they are doing

- they want to present and oppose the current political occupation

- they also educate their readers

Clay Shirky: End of audience blog tasks

 Media Magazine reading

Media Magazine 55 has an overview of technology journalist Bill Thompson’s conference presentation on ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ It’s an excellent summary of the internet’s brief history and its impact on society. Go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM55 and scroll to page 13 to read the article ‘What has the internet ever done for me?’ Answer the following questions:

1) Looking over the article as a whole, what are some of the positive developments due to the internet highlighted by Bill Thompson?

increased connectivity, new jobs, advances in technology/knowledge

2) What are the negatives or dangers linked to the development of the internet?

cyber security, cyber bullying, illegal trafficking of illegal objects

3) What does ‘open technology’ refer to? Do you agree with the idea of ‘open technology’?

I don't agree. Regulation across many platforms where users interact is still needed. Open technology is also a political challenge as many people will be divided on the pros and cons so it won't really catch on unless the whole world/general public changes their opinion to the same.

4) Bill Thompson outlines some of the challenges and questions for the future of the internet. What are they?

the issue with mass regulation on the internet, conglomerate dominance, rules and order of the internet and the main one being privacy online

5) Where do you stand on the use and regulation of the internet? Should there be more control or more openness? Why?

I think there should be more regulation when it comes to frowned upon or illegal practices taking place on social media right now. Regulation on YouTube should only apply to those who pose a threat or danger to the consumer, not screwing over the creators.

Clay Shirky: Here Comes Everybody

Clay Shirky’s book Here Comes Everybody charts the way social media and connectivity is changing the world. Read Chapter 3 of his book, ‘Everyone is a media outlet’, and answer the following questions:

1) How does Shirky define a ‘profession’ and why does it apply to the traditional newspaper industry?

People who work in the media industry are no longer employees or professionals as the lines have become blurred as to who is a professional who actually uses media as a profession. People who have written articles online face more professionalism as they are seen as more 'up to date' but they often lack the qualifications and knowledge that go with it.

2) What is the question facing the newspaper industry now the internet has created a “new ecosystem”?

The newspaper industry is in danger as the online news outlets are gaining more and more traction every day. The coherency of the newspaper industry is being dismantled online as it's just lines of code to look like words and pictures. It's an industry that's unfortunately dying and struggling to keep their head above the water with this 'new ecosystem'

3) Why did Trent Lott’s speech in 2002 become news?

He ran as senator for Missisippi and retold a story about the time he saw the level of unprofessionalism in the press at the time he was around (mid-20th century) and the press didn't cover this as they might have 'ignored' it.

4) What is ‘mass amateurisation’?

When people believe that they can create as good content than the people who provide quality content. People follow in their footsteps, suddenly you have tons of amateur content creators.

5) Shirky suggests that: “The same idea, published in dozens or hundreds of places, can have an amplifying effect that outweighs the verdict from the smaller number of professional outlets.” How can this be linked to the current media landscape and particularly ‘fake news’?

Fake news, if believed, can spread really quickly. It's a matter of making sure the source you get the information from is credible. The mass amateurisation of the internet makes this news much more likely to get spread as we see how one person believes one thing just because 'everyone is reporting the same thing'. This is that quote in essence. We always try to look for credible sources though, active consumer do at least.

6) What does Shirky suggest about the social effects of technological change? Does this mean we are currently in the midst of the internet “revolution” or “chaos” Shirky mentions?

Because the consumers are becoming the producers, it's created a habit of publish then edit. This shift in balance creates censorship issues and problems for the professionals to stay afloat. There is six times more fake news than real. That shows you how the consumers have the power, not the producer.

7) Shirky says that “anyone can be a publisher… [and] anyone can be a journalist”. What does this mean and why is it important?

Anyone can now wrote online. Almost like I do... Anyway, the point Shirky is trying to ,make is that the mass amutuerisation has become to saturated that people are making careers out of it, much like myself.

8) What does Shirky suggest regarding the hundred years following the printing press revolution? Is there any evidence of this “intellectual and political chaos” in recent global events following the internet revolution?

The printing press meant that books became mainstream and that that more people could buy them. This then increased exponentially. The same with the internet. Now that we can create our own content, we have power to change the face of  the media or indeed the global internet landscape.

9) Why is photography a good example of ‘mass amateurisation’?

If everyone has a camera, they think that they can do the same thing as professionals, with  years of experience and knowledge.

10) What do you think of Shirky’s ideas on the ‘End of audience’? Is this era of ‘mass amateurisation’ a positive thing? Or are we in a period of “intellectual and political chaos” where things are more broken than fixed? 

I think it's a good thing because we see so much positive change from it. Whether it's posting articles about F1 or even using your platform to highlight BLM, it's very good that we can create our own content - for others to consume. Although, political issues can be made worse by social media and the internet due t the global nature of it. The internet is a useful tool to those who are sensible, however in the wrong hands, it's a manipulative weapon, impacting the lives of millions.