Several Irish influencers have welcomed the announcement of a dedicated course for teenagers interested in becoming social media influencers themselves.
IT Carlow has launched the week-long summer course, which it describes as “Ireland’s first school for influencers”.
The course - named Digital Hustle - is designed for secondary school students in transition year and above, and is funded by the Higher Education Authority.
Dr Irene McCormick, who designed the course, says many people don't take influencers seriously - but she suggested they're actually “incredibly hard-working and industrious”.
The course will cover areas such as marketing and brand planning, alongside topics such as protecting privacy and mental health.
Holly Carpenter, the former Miss Ireland and a popular Instagram influencer, told Lunchtime Live she thinks the course is a great idea.
She said: “If there’s something specifically designed for aspiring influencers, I think it’s brilliant.
“They do get a lot of bad press. I think you’re put into this bracket of just not having a real job - I think that’s why people are unsure about this course as well.
“The main thing about influencing is I don’t think people realise how much goes into it.”
She said that even getting started as an influencer can be a difficult process, as you need to grow followers in the first place to make an impact.
She added that people then need to “stay credible, and be honest and open about your interests”.
'A lot comes with the job'
Charleen Murphy - another Irish influencer with over 100,000 Instagram followers - told Lunchtime Live the new course is a “brilliant idea”.
She said: “There’s so much I’ve learned along the way that I could have learned from a course like this.
“A lot comes with the job… for people to know what they’re getting themselves into would just be amazing.”
Charleen herself got involved by simply posting pictures of her outfits, with her social media work and following naturally progressing from there.
However, she believes there’s plenty of things young aspiring influencers could benefit from learning early - including around money and taxes.
She said: “At the start, a lot of people get caught up in it and do things for free. Some brands would take advantage of that.
"Having a course to teach you your worth as an influencer would be so beneficial. There’s a lot of things you don’t think of.
“It’s not as easy as posting something and getting free things. There’s a lot that goes behind it: if you don’t love it, you’re not going to want to do the hard work.
“I think the reason people are so cynical is it’s such a new phenomenon… but this is the way forward, and this is the way a brand is going to get to the customer directly.”
