, for teenagers interested in learning how to become social media influencers, said McCormick. For at least two years, the summer programAfter that initial foray, “the degree was a not a hard sell,” McCormick told The Post. “We knew there was a space and need for this, we just needed to develop the course into a bachelor’s degree and get it ratified.”
“Now, more than ever, everyone wants to maintain a semblance of control over their lives. And an influencer career promises an independent entrepreneurial career,” said Brooke Erin Duffy, a professor of communications at Cornell University. “Everybody wants to work remotely. Everyone wants to set their own schedule.”The nature of work has also been changing fast, requiring more specialized knowledge, rather than a broad education on unrelated topics.
To an extent, SETU’s influencer degree offers courses similar to those of a digital marketing degree. However, SETU’s unique program could encourage students to be “scrappy and entrepreneurial,” Duffy said.SETU’s new degree is also coming at a time when “platform companies are really pushing the myth that influencer careers are a dream job with dazzling provisions,” Duffy added.
Creative industries have always been volatile, but the influencer industry faces unique challenges because algorithms change abruptly, particular features, like reels or short-form video, can become irrelevant quickly and platforms can disappear entirely. Translating success on YouTube to TikTok, or Vine to Instagram is no easy feat.