Zendaya: Audience and Industries blog tasks

 Audience:

Smart Water brand case study:

1) What is the charity link to her Smart Water brand ambassador role and how does this link to the celebrity persona she has created?

Launching the smart solutions: global water challenge and encouraging local organisations to submit grant requests to GWC's women for water action platform, she will collaborate with the Global Water Challenge, a nonprofit organisation that works to ensure that everyone has access to clean drinking water.

2) Read the analysis of Zendaya’s social media profile. What statistics support why she is described as ‘a high-ranking celebrity influencer’?

I'm incredibly eager to start this new partnership with Smartwater," Zendaya exclaimed. "I always turn to smartwater no matter what I'm doing because we all know how crucial it is to stay hydrated.

3) What details are provided about Zendaya’s audience?

On Instagram, 67% of Zendaya's followers are women, and 73% of Twitter users are women. Her fans are typically young, single people in the 20–24 age range. They are primarily based in the US, followed by Brazil and the UK, and speak English. Her favourite cities are Los Angeles, New York, and Sao Paulo. Her audience members are professionals in the fashion industry, television, publishing, entertainment, modelling, makeup, and design. When it comes to interests, Zendaya's Twitter followers enjoy music, mystery films, reality TV, social media, and fantasy books. On Instagram, the most popular sports include American football, boxing, basketball, fashion, makeup, coffee, and skateboarding. Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Kylie Jenner, Demi Lovato, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Dwayne Johnson, and Harry Styles are some additional celebrities who have influenced this profile. 

4) What psychographic groups would fit the profile for Zendaya’s audience in this case study?

• aspirers 
• explorers 
• reformers

5) Why does the case study suggest Zendaya is a good fit for the Smart Water brand?

In terms of age, gender, and geographic demographics, Zendaya and smartwater are generally comparable. It's possible that the company is banking on the celebrity's 190 million social media followers and more than £1 million in social media worth to boost its visibility among younger consumers. One of the most well-known people on the planet right now, Zendaya also has equity, attractiveness, and awareness scores that are far above average. She has worked on charity projects before and is accustomed to working with brands, but this is her first engagement in the drinks industry.

Social media data analysis:

1) Pick out three notable statistics from the site.

• 185,406,551 followers
• 1,806 following
• $556,220- $1,297,846 cost per post

2) Scroll down through the data available. Who are Zendaya’s top mentions and what does this suggest about how she uses the account?

• @louisvuitton
• @nicolasghesquiere
• @lancomeofficial
• @abdmstudio

Suggests that she uses the account for business purposes, to gain and promote promotions. 

3) How does Zendaya’s Instagram engagement rate of 3%+ compare with the average engagement rate for accounts with more than 100,000 followers?

Because there is only a 3% engagement rate when compared to the 100000 followers, it is clear that she is not actively interacting with her followers and is likely not in charge of her account.

Zendaya: audience questions and theories:

1) Is Zendaya’s website and social media constructed to appeal to a particular gender or audience?

My opinion is that Zendaya's website and social media are meant to cater to her admirers, who are both male and female and range in age from 16 to 35, or teenagers to adults.

2) What opportunities are there for audience interaction in Zendaya’s online presence and how controlled are these?

The only time there might be a chance for audience interaction with Zendaya's online persona is if she is invited over for an interview, for example, "actually me," but the audience wouldn't know if it was actually her because she replies through a completely new account without the verified tick until the interview is not released, at which point the audience won't know. 

3) How does Zendaya’s social media presence reflect Clay Shirky’s ‘End of Audience’ theories?

In the old media consumption model, people just read the newspapers and watched the television shows that the major media sources created. Social media has made it possible for audiences to participate actively and communicate directly with content providers as we move from broadcast to broadband. This change in consumption, according to Clay Shirky, undermines the preexisting power structures and provides people with fresh chances to influence society. 

4) What effects might Zendaya’s online presence have on audiences? Is it designed to influence the audience’s views on social or political issues or is this largely a vehicle to promote Zendaya’s work?

The majority of Zendaya's online presence is used to promote her work, but I would argue that she also expresses opinions on social and political issues. For instance, her Twitter retweet about the gun shoot, which we can't be sure was posted by her, demonstrates to her audience that her online presence isn't just about making money but also about showing them that Zendaya is someone who stands up for what's right and is outspoken. 

5) Applying Hall’s Reception theory, what might be a preferred and oppositional reading of Zendaya’s online presence?

oppositional: Some viewers of Zendaya's posts may think that she shared these images because they represent what we, the viewers, should look like. She has similar skin, makeup, and fashion sense. The public would believe that Zendaya is brainwashing them through social media because any celebrity account on Instagram only portrays what is expected of them, not what is actually happening. 

preferred: audience will think she's a celebrity, a common strategy for boosting some businesses, including sponsorships and other forms of advertising. It is entirely up to her whether or whether she posts about political or social topics; if so, they will only view her as an inspiration. 

Industries

How social media companies make money:

1) How many users do the major social media sites boast?

Meta (META), formerly known as Facebook, had 2.96 billion monthly active users as of Q4 2022.

1 LinkedIn had around 900 million monthly active users as of Q1 2023, compared to Twitter's (now X) 330 million monthly active users as of the most recent figure in Q1 2019.

2) What is the main way social media sites make money?

Through advertising 

3) What does ARPU stand for and why is it important for social media companies?

Profits from advertisers who use the platform to reach customers are the main source of ARPU for Meta. 

4) Why has Meta spent huge money acquiring other brands like Instagram and WhatsApp?

With over 2 billion active users each month, WhatsApp provides Meta management with a larger pool of susceptible minds to sell as a unit to businesses trying to, say, move a few more handsets this quarter. Every acquisition Meta has made since has had this objective in mind, whether it was $1 billion for Instagram or $19 billion for WhatsApp. 

5) What other methods do social media sites have to generate income e.g. Twitter Blue? 

Other social media companies are looking at novel revenue-generating strategies as well. For instance, Elon Musk modified Twitter's blue "verified" checkmark system after he acquired the social media platform in 2022. Once upon a time, these seals of approval were bestowed upon notable or significant accounts (such as journalists, politicians, celebrities, newspapers, and other media accounts) to signify that their identities had been confirmed and that they could be relied upon.

Regulation of social media:

1) What suggestions does the report make? Pick out three you think are particularly interesting. 

- putting in place "circuit breakers" to temporarily limit the spread of newly popular content while it is fact-checked

- requiring social networks to explain in the news feed why they chose to promote a piece of information to a user - restricting the use of micro-targeted advertising

2) Who is Christopher Wylie?

Christopher Wylie, a whistleblower for Cambridge Analytica 

3) What does Wylie say about the debate between media regulation and free speech?

The majority of Western democracies do permit free expression. However, it is not necessary to claim the right to free expression. Within the limitations of hate speech, libel law, and other regulations, you are free to speak whatever you wish. However, it is not your right to have technology artificially amplify your voice. 

These systems are not impartial settings. Decisions about what individuals see or don't see are made by algorithms. Nothing in this report limits your freedom to express yourself. We're referring to the platform's ability to artificially spread deceptive and manipulative content widely. 

4) What is ‘disinformation’ and do you agree that there are things that are objectively true or false?

Right now, some ideas that are easily refuted from an objective standpoint are spreading quickly on Facebook. For instance, that Covid doesn't exist and that the vaccine's true purpose is to manipulate people's thoughts. All of these statements are demonstrably false, and you may provide evidence for that. The foundation of our democratic institutions and public discourse is the belief that we can, at the very least, agree on what is true. 

5) Why does Wylie compare Facebook to an oil company?

A petroleum corporation would claim, "We do not profit from pollution." A negative by-product, pollution is a by-product. Whether Facebook makes money from hate or not, it is a negative by-product of the current architecture, and the economic model has negative societal effects. 

6) What does it suggest a consequence of regulating the big social networks might be?

I don't think that business model should be permitted in its current form if you have a platform that has the unique selling proposition of "we will allow you to promote hate speech, we will allow you to deceive and manipulate people." Platforms that profit from user interaction owe it to their users to try as hard as they can to stop damages that can be easily identified. I find it absurd that platforms that have had such a clear impact on our public health response and democratic institutions are given less safety attention than making a toaster for someone's kitchen. 

7) What has Instagram been criticised for?

If it has only been showing you advertisements for bodybuilding for the previous week, it may decide to wait for the following two weeks. You are free to advocate for bodybuilding. However, from the viewpoint of the user, they should not continually be inundated with a single theme.

8) Can we apply any of these criticisms or suggestions to Zendaya? For example, should Zendaya have to explicitly make clear when she is being paid to promote a company or cause?

If Zendaya promotes a cream that "helps her skin to be clear" and promotes that only because she's being paid, viewers tend to fall into the trap and purchase the item only to find out it was not true. I think Zendaya should make it clear that she is being paid to promote a company. This is because the audience tends to look at their "inspiration" and want to be like them.