ASU’s Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication is launching a content creation major for students dreaming of becoming an online influencer this fall. Administrators say the program is a response to evolving trends in marketing and communications industries.
Surveys conducted by the market research firm Morning Consult found that more than half of Gen-Zers want to be a social media influencer as a career.
Cronkite’s Dean Battinto Batts Jr. says social media influencers and journalists have some things in common.
“The success of a journalist is very much dependent upon accuracy, facts, trust, accountability, connection to audience. That’s the same thing that’s at play here,” Batts said.
The major will teach students how to build trust and familiarity with online audiences, while also teaching the business side of content creation, like monetization and performance metrics.
Batts says students will get to learn about “building their own personal brand, their website, their social media feeds, their YouTube channels and then how to do that also for their clients.”
According to the program website, the top career opportunities for graduates include brand storytelling, digital influencing and podcasting.
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