Attitude - Deep Dive
- Mastering Media
- 21 hours ago
- 6 min read
30-Mark Comparative Questions
In these years, Attitude was assessed alongside Zoe Sugg in a single comparative evaluation:
2024: To what extent has the internet challenged the power and dominance of large media organisations? Refer to Zoe Sugg and the Attitude website in your response.
2022: How much influence do economic factors have on online media products? Refer to Zoella/Zoe Sugg and the Attitude website in your response.
2019: Clay Shirky argues that audiences in today’s online age are no longer passive consumers of media content. Evaluate this ‘end of audience’ theory. Refer to Zoe Sugg and the Attitude website to support your answer.
15-Mark Product-Specific Questions
In these years, Attitude was the sole focus of a "split" 15-mark question:
2023: Discuss the influence of social and cultural contexts on the representations on the Attitude website.
2021: Explore how the Attitude website challenges the misrepresentation of minority groups.
2020: Explore how the Attitude website targets and attracts a specialised audience.
Point Attitude is published by Stream Publishing, an independent media organization that utilizes both horizontal and vertical integration to maintain a dominant position within the niche LGBTQ+ market. Evidence The company achieved horizontal integration by purchasing its main competitor, the Netherlands-based magazine Winq, and it uses vertical integration to write, edit, design, print, and distribute its own products,. Theory This business model challenges Curran and Seaton’s theory that the media is driven solely by "profit and power" in large conglomerates, as Attituderemains a relatively small, independent company with fewer than 30 employees,,. Analysis By absorbing its competition and
its own production line, Stream Publishing minimizes financial risk while maintaining the creative freedom to serve a marginalized community that larger corporations might ignore,. Cultural ContextOwner Darren Styles, who is gay, bought the title specifically because he felt offering niche LGBTQ+ magazines was essential at a time when very few existed.
Point The Attitude website utilizes a strategic layout and clickbait media language to maximize revenue through a "cost-per-click" advertising model. Evidence The website features a simple design with large images, white space, and small chunks of text, alongside "salacious" headlines designed to encourage clicks. Theory The design reflects stereotypical assumptions about male reading habits—specifically the idea that men are less likely to read long-form text than women—to keep the primarily male audience engaged. Analysis Every element, from the "scantily clad" male models to the high-profile celebrity interviews, is designed to drive traffic back to the site, which in turn increases revenue from banner ads and advertorials,. Cultural Context In a digital-first era, the brand targets a converged audience that spends more time on mobile phones and tablets than on traditional print products.
Point Attitude targets a high-socioeconomic ABC1 gay male audience by positioning itself as an aspirational lifestyle and "opinion leader." Evidence The website features advertisements for high-end brands like Gucci and utilizes formal, complex language rather than slang or colloquialisms,. Theory This targets an educated demographic of "aspirers" and "reformers" who are interested in both looking good (metrosexuality) and social justice issues like racism and homophobia. Analysis The focus on 90s nostalgia (fashion, music, and film) specifically appeals to the 25–55 age bracket, who lived through that period and find the content comforting and relatable. Cultural Context By providing content that fills a "niche gap" in the market, the website offers its readers a sense of identity and community that is often missing from mainstream media.
Point The representation of masculinity on the website both reinforces hyper-masculine stereotypes and subverts them through the inclusion of diverse gender expressions. Evidence While many images feature "topless," muscular, and "powerful" men, the site also features articles on men in drag, men who use makeup, and those who behave in a more "effeminate" way,,. Theory The frequent sexualization of men on the website is unusual for mainstream media, where women are more commonly objectified, effectively pushing the audience to view the male form through a sexual lens. Analysis This broadens the representation of gay identity, moving beyond a single "type" to include both "emotionless" factual portrayals and vulnerable accounts of the emotional impact of "coming out",. Cultural Context Most of the staff at Attitude are members of the LGBTQ+ community themselves, which explains why the representations are generally sympathetic and diverse.
Point Attitude uses online technology to bypass traditional regulation and censorship, allowing it to reach global audiences in countries where LGBTQ+ content is illegal. Evidence While the print version is banned in several countries, the website remains accessible to those communities, providing them with essential stories on global LGBTQ+ issues. Theory This demonstrates how digital platforms can circumvent Livingston and Lunt’s ideas of regulation, as content can be distributed globally regardless of local national laws,. Analysis However, this global reach also brings challenges, as the site struggles to regulate homophobic or transphobic hate speech in its comment sections, leading the producers to limit "interactive" content to protect their readers,. Cultural Context To manage these risks, Stream Publishing has established its own ethics policy and uses social media algorithms to try and age-gate adult content.
Point The brand actively challenges the notion of being purely profit-driven by engaging in social activism and community support through its foundation. Evidence The Attitude Magazine Foundation is a registered charity that raises funds for LGBTQ+ youth groups, pride festivals, and support organizations across the country. TheoryAccording to Hesmondhalgh, while the company minimizes risk through global editions (copying a successful format in countries like Thailand or Vietnam), it also uses its platform for social good. Analysis Events like the "Attitude Pride at Home" digital festival during the 2020 pandemic show how the brand uses technology to remain relevant to its audience's cultural and social needs. Cultural Context This "giving back" approach reinforces a loyal brand identity, proving that even in a commercial industry, a media product can serve as a powerful tool for social reform.
Ownership: Who is the current Managing Publisher of Stream Publishing, and why did he originally purchase Attitude?
Horizontal Integration: How did Stream Publishing "absorb the competition" within the European gay magazine market?
Revenue: Aside from digital sales, name three ways the Attitude website generates revenue through advertising.
Media Language: Why does the website use small chunks of text and large amounts of white space?
Audience Demographics: What specific socioeconomic group is targeted by adverts for brands like Gucci?
Regulation: How does the website bypass traditional censorship in countries where being part of the LGBTQ+ community is illegal?,
Representation: In what way does the website’s representation of men challenge traditional gender ideologies?
Industry Theory: How does the Attitude Magazine Foundation challenge Curran and Seaton’s theory of the media?
Glossary of Key Terms for Attitude
ABC1 Demographic: The middle-class, high-income audience that Attitude targets to attract luxury advertisers.
Advertorial: An advertisement designed to look like an objective news article.
Aspirers: An audience demographic (Young & Rubicam) that seeks status and is attracted to high-end, "cool" brands.
Clickbait: Sensationalized or "salacious" headlines used to encourage users to click a link to generate ad revenue.
Converged Technology: The blending of different media (text, video, social media) onto a single digital platform like a smartphone.
Cost-Per-Click: A digital marketing model where a company pays the publisher every time a user clicks on an advert.
Ethics Policy: A set of self-imposed rules that Stream Publishing follows to regulate its own content and avoid offense.
Horizontal Integration: When a company buys a competitor in the same stage of production (e.g., Attitude buying Winq).
Hyper-masculine: A representation that exaggerates "manly" traits, such as being extremely muscular or emotionless.
Metrosexual: A man who is highly interested in fashion, grooming, and his physical appearance.
Niche Market: A small, specialized part of the population that a product is aimed at, such as the LGBTQ+ community,.
Opinion Leader: A person or brand (like Attitude) that has the authority to influence the audience's thoughts and spending habits.
Reformers: An audience demographic that values social justice and wants to change the world for the better.
Self-Regulation: When a company manages its own rules and standards to avoid outside government or legal interference.
Syndicated Content: Articles or stories that are "borrowed" or bought from other global websites to provide a wider range of content.
Vertical Integration: When a company owns multiple stages of its production and distribution (e.g., writing, editing, and printing its own magazine).
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