The creator economy, valued at an estimated $250 billion in 2024, is no longer just a side hustle for aspiring social media stars—it’s a legitimate career path for hopeful influencers. While most superstar influencers, like Matt Rife or Charli D’Amelio, didn’t receive formal training to become online sensations, forward-thinking academics (and over 50% of Gen Z) see “influencer” as a viable career path. “We would be remiss if we did not treat [aspects of the influencer industry]
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. Even Ivy League institutions are getting involved. Harvard recently hosted YouTube sensation MrBeast as a guest lecturer, where he shared insights into building his multimillion-dollar content empire. With projections that the creator economy will eclipse $500 billion in the next few years, universities are taking note, teaching the art and business of influencing.
Influencer Careers: A Dream Job for Gen Z?
A study cited by The Hollywood Reporter reveals that over 50% of Gen Z aims to become influencers. Additionally, 54% of Americans aged 18 to 60 would leave their current jobs if they could earn a sustainable income as full-time content creators. The Bureau of Labor Statistics highlights that the “Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations” category—which includes influencers—experienced a growth rate of 13% in 2023, far outpacing traditional job sectors.
In 2024, influencers like MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) are earning millions annually. MrBeast made over $54 million in 2023, according to Forbes. The Stokes Twins, with 114 million followers, are netting an estimated $20 million a year from their YouTube channel and other socials. The lucrative nature of the creator economy has solidified its place as a viable and desirable profession – because it looks like easy money. Make videos and get checks: where do I sign up? But are these kinds of stratospheric revenue numbers realistic for aspiring students – or the general public?
According to AdSense, a platform for monetizing YouTube traffic, only 0.3% of Youtubers earn $5,000 or more per month. A “beginner” YouTuber, with 1000 subscribers, can earn around $30-300 from AdSense monthly. Note that only 9% of all the channels on YouTube have 1,000 subscribers or more. Other revenue streams, including Patreon and affiliate marketing, can add to these numbers – but your mileage may vary. And of course YouTube is not the only social platform, which is part of why academics are offering options and insights to students right now.
Ultimately, colleges and universities provide education – and how that education is used (the outcome) is up to the individual. Studying the creator economy is a deeper dive into the spirit of our times, as well as a preparation for the future – but it is no guarantee of millions of followers. As with any educational pursuit, studying to be an influencer doesn’t necessarily mean that you will turn into the next Alex Cooper ($22 million in earnings, 5.7 million total followers). But it might help you to find your own voice, or help an organization to convey a more powerful brand message.
Universities Embrace the Influencer Economy
“I’ve been studying digital content creation for more than a decade, but the topic has only recently become legible to a wider academic audience,” says professor Brooke Erin Duffy, an author and member of the newly launched Content Creator Scholars Network at Cornell. Universities are preparing students not only to create compelling content but also to negotiate contracts, understand intellectual property rights, and build sustainable business models.
In the words of Professor Duffy, “The influencer economy is not just about visibility but about managing precarity [a fancy $12 word for “risk” or “danger”] and leveraging power.” Kate Stewart, an assistant professor of public relations at Jacksonville State University, describes the field of study in this way: “I think it’s communication, I think it’s production and I think it’s business.” Managing risk, understanding power, communicating content and producing an impact: these are vital components of the future of work. The influencer opportunity is a viable and important field of study for universities today, for Gen Z students focused on tomorrow.