Ask a teen what they want to be when they grow up, and there’s a fair chance being an influencer is on their list. Digital media and the people who star in it have been cultural mainstays for teens’ entire lives, so creating social media, video or podcast content seems a natural, albeit nontraditional, career path. And now they can earn a college degree in that very field.
Arizona State University recently launched a new bachelor’s degree in content creation, offered through its Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Bonaventure University announced a content creation major last winter. Universities, eager to compete for a shrinking student population, are rolling out new majors intended to prepare students for today’s careers.
The curriculum overlaps with that of ASU’s mass communication and media studies degree, with the major departure being a slate of specialised electives on podcasting, studio production, and on-camera presence. ASU’s announcement was met with swift criticism from many sides – from people who feel content creation is not a legitimate profession to those who question the value of a college degree in launching a social media career. But the ASU programme is not the first of its kind. And the university, which declined an interview request about the new program, is not the first to offer content creation courses. Whether they lead to jobs can be up for debate. Many higher education institutions have started offering classes focused on the burgeoning content creation industry over the past couple years, and several have certificate or minor programs. Syracuse University, Quinnipiac University and Colorado State University offer minors, and St. To Brooke Erin Duffy, a communication professor at Cornell University, these college programs represent an inflection point.
During the past year, Duffy said, institutions in education and beyond have been acknowledging content creation as a viable career path – even if the term “influencer” itself hits a nerve.
