Influencer 101

English, history, math . . . and social media? In recent years, a growing number of high schools and colleges have added classes on social media content creation. The courses teach students everything from how to interpret audience data to how to make a video more visually appealing by adjusting its color palette.

The addition of these classes might seem strange in a time when 35 states ban or limit cellphones in the classroom and social media companies face lawsuits accusing them of harming teen mental health. (In August, Meta—the parent company of Instagram and Facebook—agreed to make changes to its products and pay up to $17.1 billion to states that had sued on behalf of young people.)

But the creator economy—the ecosystem of individuals building audiences on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube—continues to grow. The industry will be worth nearly $500 billion by 2027, according to Goldman Sachs. And many schools see value in teaching students how to navigate this relatively new field—and a world dominated by social media.

In recent years, a growing number of high schools and colleges have added classes on social media content creation. The courses teach students everything from how to interpret audience data to how to make a video more visually appealing by adjusting its color palette.

The addition of these classes might seem strange. Currently, 35 states ban or limit cellphones in the classroom. Social media companies face lawsuits accusing them of harming teen mental health. In August, Meta—the parent company of Instagram and Facebook—agreed to make changes to its products. They agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion to states that had sued on behalf of young people.

But the creator economy continues to grow. The business of individuals building audiences on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube will be worth nearly $500 billion by 2027, according to Goldman Sachs. And many schools see value in teaching students how to navigate this relatively new field—and a world dominated by social media.

Shutterstock.com (phone); via Instagram (Eva Chappell)

Eva Chappell, 17, took a class called Content and Influencer Marketing at North Summit High School in Coalville, Utah. The class put Eva and her peers in charge of creating content for the school’s Instagram account. Eva co-hosted an Instagram talk show, which taught her how to write scripts, conduct interviews, and edit video.

“I saw it as a pretty good opportunity to be creative, while learning skills that are valuable to me in real life,” she says. “Social media has grown into something beyond entertainment.”

The course’s teacher, Charity Richins, says the class offers important business instruction for students.

“Ultimately, an influencer is an entrepreneur,” she says. “And every brand has to create content.”

Fueled by a shift to independent work during the Covid-19 pandemic and the explosion in TikTok’s popularity around the same time, the U.S. creator industry has seen a nearly eight-fold increase since 2020, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. About 27 million Americans get paid for their social media content, and 1.5 million work full-time as content creators or influencers, according to a 2026 report from the American Influencer Council.

Eva Chappell, 17, took a class called Content and Influencer Marketing at North Summit High School in Coalville, Utah. The class put Eva and her peers in charge of creating content for the school’s Instagram account. Eva co-hosted an Instagram talk show. She learned how to write scripts, conduct interviews, and edit video.

“I saw it as a pretty good opportunity to be creative, while learning skills that are valuable to me in real life,” she says. “Social media has grown into something beyond entertainment.”

The course’s teacher, Charity Richins, says the class offers important business instruction for students.

“Ultimately, an influencer is an entrepreneur,” she says. “And every brand has to create content.”

The U.S. creator industry has seen a nearly eight-fold increase since 2020, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. During the Covid-19 pandemic, more people shifted to independent work. The popularity of TikTok exploded around the same time. About 27 million Americans get paid for their social media content. According to a 2026 report from the American Influencer Council, 1.5 million work full-time as content creators or influencers.

Many teens already participate in the creator economy. About one in three American teens 18 and under have been approached by brands to promote a product on social media or know someone who has, says a 2024 report from the online business platform Whop.

But many content creation courses, such as those offered through Syracuse University’s new Center for the Creator Economy, seek to expose students to roles beyond the influencer who appears in front of the camera. This fall, the university introduced a minor in content creation, which includes business and entrepreneurship classes.

“There are a variety of different career pathways,” says Alex McKelvie, an interim dean at Syracuse. “Being a talent manager, being able to provide some of the back-end systems and the content editing—there’s more to it than just being the face.”

Many teens already participate in the creator economy. About one in three American teens 18 and under have been approached by brands to promote a product on social media or know someone who has, says a 2024 report from the online business platform Whop.

But many content creation courses, such as those offered through Syracuse University’s new Center for the Creator Economy, seek to expose students to roles beyond the influencer who appears in front of the camera. This fall, the university introduced a minor in content creation. It includes classes in business and entrepreneurship.

“There are a variety of different career pathways,” says Alex McKelvie, an interim dean at Syracuse. “Being a talent manager, being able to provide some of the back-end systems and the content editing—there’s more to it than just being the face.”

Chris Fiegel

Creator Ilana Dunn at Syracuse University’s Center for the Creator Economy, 2025

The classes also show students how challenging it can be to earn a living as a content creator. About 49 percent of influencers make less than $10,000 per year, according to a 2026 report from the Influencer Marketing Factory.

“Students do have the misunderstanding that, ‘Oh I can have one video and go viral and make all this money,’” says Richins, the Utah teacher. She says her class helps students understand that “it’s also a lot of work and a lot of learning, like any career.”

Many content creators attract viewers and advertisers by presenting an image of total freedom online. That narrative, while helping platforms make money, is misleading, experts say.

Creators, in fact, “are accountable to audiences, advertisers, and platforms,” says Brooke Erin Duffy, a communication professor at Cornell University. “It’s incredibly precarious.”

The classes also show students how challenging it can be to earn a living as a content creator. About 49 percent of influencers make less than $10,000 per year, according to a 2026 report from the Influencer Marketing Factory.

“Students do have the misunderstanding that, ‘Oh I can have one video and go viral and make all this money,’” says Richins, the Utah teacher. She says her class helps students understand that “it’s also a lot of work and a lot of learning, like any career.”

Many content creators attract viewers and advertisers by presenting an image of total freedom online. That narrative, while helping platforms make money, is misleading, experts say.

Creators, in fact, “are accountable to audiences, advertisers, and platforms,” says Brooke Erin Duffy, a communications professor at Cornell University. “It’s incredibly precarious.”

Some schools see content creation classes as an opportunity to expose students to a variety of digital media skills, rather than teaching them how to become influencers.

“Even if you don’t decide to be a content creator, it’s helpful to understand how to cultivate your digital presence and use it to your advantage,” says Bill Zimmerman, a communications professor at Pennsylvania State University. At Lakota West High School in West Chester Township, Ohio, the content creation class for freshmen introduces students to photography, videography, and graphic design.

Karmelo Jordan, 17, found the course immediately useful.

“I play football, and I’m trying to get recruited for it,” he says. “So I used a lot of the things I learned to make my posts on X look professional for coaches. . . . I know that what I’ve learned, I’ll be able to apply no matter what path I go down in the future.”

Some schools see content creation classes as an opportunity to expose students to a variety of digital media skills. It is more than just teaching them how to become influencers.

“Even if you don’t decide to be a content creator, it’s helpful to understand how to cultivate your digital presence and use it to your advantage,” says Bill Zimmerman, a communications professor at Pennsylvania State University. At Lakota West High School in West Chester Township, Ohio, the content creation class for freshmen introduces students to photography, videography, and graphic design.

Karmelo Jordan, 17, found the course immediately useful.

“I play football, and I’m trying to get recruited for it,” he says. “So I used a lot of the things I learned to make my posts on X look professional for coaches. . . . I know that what I’ve learned, I’ll be able to apply no matter what path I go down in the future.”