Arizona State U. Offers New Major in How to Become a Social Media Influencer
“They will have a platform of their choice with real content and real followers and a real audience behind them”
This is ridiculous. If you need to go to college to do this, you’ll probably never succeed in actually doing it.
The College Fix reports:
New ASU major teaches students how to become ‘influencers,’ monetize social media
Arizona State University students can now earn a degree by learning how to become an “influencer.”
The new content creation major, within ASU’s Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, prepares students “to become an influencer and strategic storyteller who thrives in the rapidly evolving creator economy,” the program description states.
It was created for students who “dream of monetizing” their social media platforms.
“Program coursework emphasizes content planning, video and podcast production, global perspectives and personal branding,” the description states.
Further, students will “gain real-world know-how through experiences such as the Los Angeles Content Studio, brand content projects, media internships and content creation trips abroad.”
Jessica Pucci, senior associate dean at the school, said students “will have demonstrable audience growth,” AZ Family reported.
“They will have a platform of their choice with real content and real followers and a real audience behind them,” she said.
She added that students will analyze the performance of their content and develop strategies to improve it.
Anna Elizabeth, an influencer and medical assistant in Arizona, praised the new program, saying it would have helped her launch her career.
“There’s editing, there’s marketing strategies of it. There’s like, ‘How do I get PR? How do I get brands to notice me?’” Elizabeth said. “It’s a little bit difficult to understand that portion if you haven’t done it for a long time.”
However, others are questioning the major’s value proposition.
“Will it survive the new federal rule that a degree must give a higher income to its graduates than those without a degree?” ASU Professor Owen Anderson wrote on X.
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Comments
Another useless degree. What exactly is an “influencer”, anyway?
When an actor or actress gets enough media chatter, they become a “celebrity.”
When a podcaster or product reviewer gets enough likes and subscriptions, they become an “influencer.” Companies pay them money to shill for their products. It’s like being Billy Mays, but on the Uber model (meaning no pension or benefit plan0..
Ah. What those of us in the cheap seats call an unproductive leech. Got it, thank you.
You know, this IS a valid course of study.
But it belongs at Yavapai County Community College, for $4,800 (example), not at ASU, for $59,000.
A four-year major in this “concentration” is a total boondoggle
Bear Down!