3. Zero Waste Influencer - Madeleine Olivia
"Voice is the pervasive reflection, in written or spoken language, of an author's character, the marks by which we recognize his utterance as his" (Stoehr 150).
The zero waste community is growing online. The essential ingredients for growth isn't sunlight and water; it's growing your readership and persuading your followers to have a taste of your fresh and easy lifestyle. Madeleine Olivia is an all-rounder social media user. With over 300 published videos, two eBooks and plenty of Instagram posts, she is certainly spreading her support for the zero waste movement online. Madeleine's homepage on her website immediately creates a feel-good vibe:
With easy-access categories: "Food, Minimalism, Beauty, Self Love, eBooks, Shop, Subscribe" the reader's position for ease is considered. Her personal branding, the carefree smile, and simplicity is promoting her "versatile" and "easy at-home" eBooks to the reader. Everything is a breeze.
In fact, in her blog post "30 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Waste", step one is to "Stop Buying Stuff" and step two is "Avoid Food Wrapped in Plastic". The choice of breaking down actions into bullet points makes it possible for the reader to integrate it slowly into their lives. An assertive tone is established through listing by using short and simple imperatives, telling her audience to "Compost Your Food Waste" and "Get Your Own Reusable Bottle". She does this to continually engage with her audience so she can teach them how to be involved which builds this culture. Sounds do-able, right?
Number 16 of her 30 ways is to "Go Vegan". What some zero waste influencers such as Madeleine Olivia, Litterless and Trash is for Tossers are suggesting, is to go vegan or at least have a plant-based diet. The Vegan Society defines veganism as "a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose." One thing in common that these influencers have is a connection to healthy and sustainable eating to reduce waste. Madeleine Olivia describes going vegan as "one of the most incredible ways to reduce your impact on this earth. Compared to a meat-eater or vegetarian diet, a vegan diet's carbon footprint is dramatically lower" before stating some statistics. Her voice is positive and highly persuasive in making the reader believe they can make a change to the earth. This is achieved through the use of the adjective "incredible" - making going vegan seem like an almost impossible thing, but if she can do it, why can't you?
Since we're talking about things that go well together, her Instagram post with a lengthy caption on why and how to reduce waste is the third pairing to her blog post and YouTube video.
Madeleine Olivia's Instagram post is a more condensed version of the topic. She begins her caption with, "It's more important than ever that we think about reducing our waste. It's my responsibility, and your responsibility, to be aware of the sheer scale of the problem that is currently happening, and do what we can to help". Similar to her blog post, she maintains her positive and professional manner in expressing the need for people to change their habits. This is secured by sustaining a close relationship with the reader through the use of the personal pronouns "we," "my," "you" and "I". For example, "It's my responsibility, and your responsibility" is more powerful compared to just saying "our". Furthermore, the repetition of the noun "responsibility" emphasises the responsibility each individual should have on the impact of their waste. This is highly persuasive language in creating a connection between the influencer and the reader.
A different addition to her writing style is the use of emojis such as the numbers in the list and ideograms to represent the things she mentions. A plant sprouting emoji is inserted after the second tip "Go vegan" and a banana after "Compost your food". This adds tone and lowers the formality in her Instagram post. It also distinguishes her audience on Instagram to her blog which has no emojis. Since the Instagram post is most likely to be viewed or stumbled upon on a phone (which was how I came across her!), it creates the impression that Madeleine Olivia is sharing a friendly, yet action-orientated announcement to her audience.
Madeleine Olivia carefully selected her key image in the post to represent her ethos to zero waste - with a perspective from food. It is a stylised image of some raw produce: white beans, mushrooms and ripened bananas carefully positioned in their reusable cotton bags so you can see them popping out. There is also a reusable water bottle, a glass resealable jar holding some lentils, cylindrical cans holding tea leaves and wooden cutlery. The camera angle from the bird's eye view forces the reader to see the importance of each item clearly - representing each way she suggests in the post to reduce waste. Moreover, there's a warm undertone to the photo which is often associated with joy and optimism. The neutrals of browns and whites also carry warm attributes, inviting the reader in. This photo is not only used in her blog post, but you can also find it on her YouTube thumbnail as well as on her Instagram. Using the same photo creates an identity and branding, but it also allows her to individualise her voice on different platforms.
Her social media presence as a zero waste influencer on her blog, YouTube videos, and Instagram do differ. And she makes the necessary adjustments to her voice and style to cater to her audience across all her platforms.
The zero waste community is growing online. The essential ingredients for growth isn't sunlight and water; it's growing your readership and persuading your followers to have a taste of your fresh and easy lifestyle. Madeleine Olivia is an all-rounder social media user. With over 300 published videos, two eBooks and plenty of Instagram posts, she is certainly spreading her support for the zero waste movement online. Madeleine's homepage on her website immediately creates a feel-good vibe:
 |
| Madeleine Olivia's Homepage |
With easy-access categories: "Food, Minimalism, Beauty, Self Love, eBooks, Shop, Subscribe" the reader's position for ease is considered. Her personal branding, the carefree smile, and simplicity is promoting her "versatile" and "easy at-home" eBooks to the reader. Everything is a breeze.
In fact, in her blog post "30 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Waste", step one is to "Stop Buying Stuff" and step two is "Avoid Food Wrapped in Plastic". The choice of breaking down actions into bullet points makes it possible for the reader to integrate it slowly into their lives. An assertive tone is established through listing by using short and simple imperatives, telling her audience to "Compost Your Food Waste" and "Get Your Own Reusable Bottle". She does this to continually engage with her audience so she can teach them how to be involved which builds this culture. Sounds do-able, right?
 |
| Madeleine Olivia's blog post "30 Ways To Reduce Your Waste" |
Number 16 of her 30 ways is to "Go Vegan". What some zero waste influencers such as Madeleine Olivia, Litterless and Trash is for Tossers are suggesting, is to go vegan or at least have a plant-based diet. The Vegan Society defines veganism as "a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose." One thing in common that these influencers have is a connection to healthy and sustainable eating to reduce waste. Madeleine Olivia describes going vegan as "one of the most incredible ways to reduce your impact on this earth. Compared to a meat-eater or vegetarian diet, a vegan diet's carbon footprint is dramatically lower" before stating some statistics. Her voice is positive and highly persuasive in making the reader believe they can make a change to the earth. This is achieved through the use of the adjective "incredible" - making going vegan seem like an almost impossible thing, but if she can do it, why can't you?
I chose this specific blog post because it is a fine pairing to her YouTube video "30 EASY WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR WASTE | My Top Tips & Hacks for Beginners!" Madeleine Olivia's personality shines through in different mediums to attract a wider audience. For instance, the addition of "My Top Tips & Hacks for Beginners!" on her YouTube video title yells out her appeal to newbies of the movement. She is using her YouTube channel to voice her ideas, where the reader viewer can follow her tips and tricks to reduce their waste and support the zero waste movement.
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| 30 EASY WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR WASTE | My Top Tips & Hacks For Beginners! - YouTube Video/Thumbnail |
Since we're talking about things that go well together, her Instagram post with a lengthy caption on why and how to reduce waste is the third pairing to her blog post and YouTube video.
Madeleine Olivia's Instagram post is a more condensed version of the topic. She begins her caption with, "It's more important than ever that we think about reducing our waste. It's my responsibility, and your responsibility, to be aware of the sheer scale of the problem that is currently happening, and do what we can to help". Similar to her blog post, she maintains her positive and professional manner in expressing the need for people to change their habits. This is secured by sustaining a close relationship with the reader through the use of the personal pronouns "we," "my," "you" and "I". For example, "It's my responsibility, and your responsibility" is more powerful compared to just saying "our". Furthermore, the repetition of the noun "responsibility" emphasises the responsibility each individual should have on the impact of their waste. This is highly persuasive language in creating a connection between the influencer and the reader.
A different addition to her writing style is the use of emojis such as the numbers in the list and ideograms to represent the things she mentions. A plant sprouting emoji is inserted after the second tip "Go vegan" and a banana after "Compost your food". This adds tone and lowers the formality in her Instagram post. It also distinguishes her audience on Instagram to her blog which has no emojis. Since the Instagram post is most likely to be viewed or stumbled upon on a phone (which was how I came across her!), it creates the impression that Madeleine Olivia is sharing a friendly, yet action-orientated announcement to her audience.
Madeleine Olivia carefully selected her key image in the post to represent her ethos to zero waste - with a perspective from food. It is a stylised image of some raw produce: white beans, mushrooms and ripened bananas carefully positioned in their reusable cotton bags so you can see them popping out. There is also a reusable water bottle, a glass resealable jar holding some lentils, cylindrical cans holding tea leaves and wooden cutlery. The camera angle from the bird's eye view forces the reader to see the importance of each item clearly - representing each way she suggests in the post to reduce waste. Moreover, there's a warm undertone to the photo which is often associated with joy and optimism. The neutrals of browns and whites also carry warm attributes, inviting the reader in. This photo is not only used in her blog post, but you can also find it on her YouTube thumbnail as well as on her Instagram. Using the same photo creates an identity and branding, but it also allows her to individualise her voice on different platforms.
Her social media presence as a zero waste influencer on her blog, YouTube videos, and Instagram do differ. And she makes the necessary adjustments to her voice and style to cater to her audience across all her platforms.
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