Becoming an influencer is now an aspirational career choice, with more than half of Gen Zers wishing they could carve out employment on their phones, according to the Hollywood Reporter. But without a rulebook in a constantly evolving, potentially lucrative field, treading that path isn't so simple. The Hill reports that colleges are answering the call by providing courses, and in some cases, entire degrees, on how to pay the bills as an online content creator. And while there are plenty of influencer success stories that have cropped up without formal training, some academics believe teaching these skills is worth the effort. "We would be remiss if we did not treat this as a skill our students need going out into the world," says Jessica Maddox, who teaches a class called Social Media Storytelling at the University of Alabama.
Some of the things students are learning on their path to be the next big thing on TikTok:
- Battling misinformation: While obtaining the perfect ring light and learning to increase likes are skills most influencers would want to gain, the University of Texas teamed up with UNESCO to tackle a much bigger issue: online misinformation. They developed a free 4-week course available in multiple languages on the topic, and 10,000 influencer students across the globe have already enrolled. "It's incredible," says Summer Harlow, associate director of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at the university. "It's probably one of the most successful courses that we've done in terms of the number of participants, and then also in terms of engagement for the very first live session that we had."
- Avoiding pitfalls: Another topic that future influencers are learning about involves the legal and financial troubles they can run into online. The Hill cites the case of Italian influencer Chiara Ferragni, who was fined a million bucks for a campaign that misled viewers into thinking that proceeds from their purchases would go to charity.
- Digital rosters: The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop on where to find courses that teach the art of becoming an influencer—from Mississippi State University, where viral meteorologist Nick Kosir (known as the Dancing Weatherman to his millions of followers) teaches a class on becoming a paid content creator, to the University of Texas at San Antonio, which offers a bachelor's degree in Digital Media Influence.
(When
influencers' kids grow up, a harsh reality sometimes ensues.)
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uBlock 
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Ghostery 
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