From reels to a real career: Can 'Influencer' be a college degree in India?

What if becoming an influencer was no longer something young people learnt by experimenting with reels, videos and social media, but something they could formally study in college?The question is no longer entirely hypothetical. Arizona State University in the US has launched a bachelor's degree in content creation, offering students formal training in areas such as studio production, podcasting and on-camera presence.The move raises a larger question for India: Can content creation, and eventually influencing, become a legitimate academic discipline here too? You can’t teach someone to go viral, but can college build a successful creator? (Representative Image) The debate comes at a time when India's creator economy is expanding rapidly. The Union Budget 2026 has also highlighted the growing importance of the creator economy, bringing greater attention to opportunities around digital content, creators and new-age media. But while creating content has become a serious career option, turning it into a college degree is a different proposition altogether.CAN A COLLEGE ACTUALLY TEACH SOMEONE TO BECOME AN INFLUENCER?There is certainly a skill set behind successful content creation. Students can learn video production, editing, storytelling, scripting, photography, podcasting, social media strategy, audience analytics, branding and the business of working with brands. A formal programme could therefore prepare students for much more than simply making Instagram Reels or YouTube videos.It could train them for a wider creator economy that includes influencers, digital producers, podcasters, content strategists, social media managers and independent creators.But there is a fundamental problem: success as an influencer cannot be guaranteed by technical training alone. You can’t teach someone to go viral, but can college build a successful creator? (Representative Image) Personality, originality, consistency, timing and the ability to connect with an audience can be difficult to teach in a classroom. Yet experts argue that while a college cannot manufacture charisma, it can help students develop the skills required to turn their personality and creativity into a profession.“Colleges and universities are already teaching students to be effective communicators, and this is the key trait for anyone who wants to be an influencer in the world of digital media,” said Professor Atri Nautiyal, Senior Director, School of Liberal Studies & Humanities, UPES Dehradun.He believes the drive to become an influencer comes from within, but a student's personality can still be shaped positively by understanding the requirements of a particular niche. According to Nautiyal, even audience connection can be studied by helping students understand the social context and psychology that influence how people consume, share, and engage with content.Dr Amitash Ojha, Associate Professor, Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, IIT Jammu, draws a similar distinction. A college, he said, can teach many of the skills needed to become a successful influencer, but it cannot guarantee success.Personality, originality and audience connection may be individual qualities, he said, but they can also be developed through practice, mentoring and feedback. Students can learn storytelling, communication, personal branding, audience psychology and content strategy.“The real value of education is not simply teaching students how to gain followers, but helping them understand why audiences engage with content and how to build a sustainable and authentic identity,” Ojha said.He compares it to film school: just as studying acting cannot guarantee that someone will become a successful actor, a content-creation programme cannot promise followers or fame. What it can offer is the knowledge, skills and environment to improve a student's chances of building a career. You can’t teach someone to go viral, but can college build a successful creator? (Representative Image) For Anil Agarwal, Co-founder and CEO, InCruiter, the distinction is even more important.“I don't think a college can teach someone to become an influencer because personality, originality and the ability to connect with people are difficult to teach,” he said. However, he added that colleges can teach the skills needed to build an audience and a personal brand.The changing needs of businesses also make such training relevant. Companies are increasingly working with content creators to build visibility, engagement and awareness. “Content has become an important part of how brands communicate with their audience,” Agarwal said.A formal programme, therefore, may not create influencers in the traditional sense. But it could give students the space to experiment, understand audiences, learn marketing and build a brand.Rajiv Gowda, CEO, East Point Group of Institutions, believes colleges can also help young creators avoid learning everything through trial and error.“No classroom can create personality or that natural spark people connect with. That part is either in you or it isn't,” Gowda said. But education can teach creators how to plan content, understand platforms, handle brands professionally, stay legally safe and build something that lasts beyond a few viral videos.“Originality stays personal. The rest can and should be taught properly,” he added.That distinction could determine whether a content-creation degree becomes a meaningful qualification or simply another specialised course attached to a rapidly changing industry.THE PROBLEM WITH CALLING IT AN ‘INFLUENCER’ DEGREEThe word itself may be the biggest challenge. “Influencer” can mean very different things: from earning through brand collaborations and YouTube ads to subscriptions, merchandise or digital products.With platforms and formats changing rapidly, a degree tied too closely to one platform or content style could quickly become outdated. A broader programme in content creation or the creator economy may therefore make more sense than one called “Influencer Studies”. You can’t teach someone to go viral, but can college build a successful creator? (Representative Image) There is also the question of employment. Traditional degrees often lead to defined career paths, while the creator economy revolves around freelancing, entrepreneurship, personal branding and multiple income streams. Students may therefore need to learn not just how to create content, but how to build a sustainable business around their skills.WHAT WOULD AN INDIAN CREATOR-ECONOMY DEGREE TEACH?India does not necessarily need to start from scratch. Mass communication, journalism, advertising, filmmaking, public relations, digital marketing and media-production courses already teach many of the skills creators use every day.A mass communication student may learn storytelling, production, writing and media theory. A digital marketing student may study audience behaviour, analytics, social media strategy and branding. So the question is not simply whether Indian colleges can teach content creation. They already teach many of its building blocks. You can’t teach someone to go viral, but can college build a successful creator? (Representative Image) The bigger question is whether these subjects need to be brought together into a specialised programme designed specifically for the creator economy.According to Nautiyal, such a course would need to go beyond conventional production skills. Students would need to understand how platforms work in real time, including changing algorithms, while also learning monetisation through memberships, digital products and micro-sponsorships.He also pointed to production workflows for lean teams, content planning, technical skills, digital-footprint management, ethics and legal considerations as areas that could form the core of such a curriculum.Ojha believes the creator-economy programme should focus on the creator as both content producer and personal brand.Students could learn personal branding, audience psychology, platform algorithms, content experimentation, community building, influencer economics and the use of AI and emerging technologies. But the most important part, he said, would be practical exposure.“Students should graduate with actual portfolios, functioning social-media channels, audience analytics and experience in monetisation, collaborations and managing digital communities,” Ojha said.In other words, mass communication teaches communication, film-making teaches production, advertising teaches persuasion and digital marketing teaches promotion. A creator-economy course would need to bring these skills together while focusing specifically on the relationship between creator, audience and platform. You can’t teach someone to go viral, but can college build a successful creator? (Representative Image) Agarwal also believes practical learning should be at the heart of such a programme. Students should learn content strategy, personal branding, audience behaviour, social media marketing, algorithms, analytics and monetisation.Most importantly, they should create content, build an audience and test what works, he said.Gowda takes the idea a step further. If India introduces a dedicated degree, students should learn how to research topics, build communities, validate information, understand algorithms, negotiate brand deals, manage finances as independent creators, handle online crises and use AI without losing their own voice.“Most importantly, they should learn how to turn attention into a steady livelihood,” he said, arguing that theory alone would not be enough. The course would need live projects and actual industry exposure.DEGREE, DIPLOMA OR SPECIALISED COURSE?There may also be a middle ground.Instead of a three or four-year degree specifically designed around influencers, Indian universities could introduce specialised electives, minors, diplomas or postgraduate programmes focused on the creator economy.That could allow students from journalism, management, design, filmmaking or marketing backgrounds to develop creator-specific skills without making “influencer” their entire academic identity. It could also make the curriculum easier to update as platforms, technologies and audience habits evolve.Such an approach may be particularly useful because the creator economy itself is still changing. What works on social media today may become irrelevant within a few years.CAN INDIA AFFORD TO IGNORE THE CREATOR ECONOMY?The creator economy is no longer just about celebrities making sponsored posts. Creators now work with brands, media and entertainment companies, while some are building businesses, launching products and hiring teams. This creates a strong case for universities to formally study and teach the industry. You can’t teach someone to go viral, but can college build a successful creator? (Representative Image) But colleges must also be realistic about career prospects, income and risks. A content-creation degree should prepare students for an industry where earnings can be unpredictable, platforms can change quickly, and a creator’s personal reputation can become part of their professional identity.THE REAL QUESTION IS NOT WHETHER INFLUENCERS NEED DEGREESPerhaps the debate should move beyond the phrase “influencer degree”.The more relevant question is whether India's universities are prepared for a workforce in which creating, distributing and monetising content has become a legitimate economic activity. A degree cannot teach someone to go viral. It cannot manufacture charisma or guarantee an audience.But it can teach students how to tell stories, understand audiences, navigate digital platforms, protect their intellectual property, work with brands and turn creative skills into a sustainable profession.And that may be where the real debate lies: Should India teach students how to become influencers; or should it teach them how to build careers in the creator economy?- EndsPublished By: Karan YadavPublished On: Aug 18, 2026 15:47 IST