University to offer Ireland's first degree in 'influencing'
IRELAND’S first ‘influencer’ degree has been established, with applications being taken in November.
The new university degree will offer those thinking of opting for third level education a three-year influencer course in South East Technological University (SETU), Carlow from September 2024.
The Bachelor of Arts in Content Creation and Social Media degree will be designed for those interested in being “self-employed influencers”, or “company content creators”.
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One, Dr Eleanor O'Leary, lecturer in media and communications at SETU said: “Lots of people end up working and collaborating with brands - it is an area that has a specific set of skills.”
Dr O'Leary said the profession draws on existing public relations, marketing and media skills, but ultimately this is a new area in and of itself: “If you think about working in this space, there is quite a lot of crisis management, understanding how the different platforms work and what you might develop depending on what brand you are working on.”
Adding that many young people are proficient in social media, Dr O’Leary said that in terms of education, the degree looks at adding business skills and technical skills like video editing, audio editing, podcasting and writing.
The industry has doubled in value globally since 2019 and is worth an estimate of between €14bn €16bn worldwide.