Influencers of the future might not look quite like we picture them now. Here in South Korea, some of the influencers on your feed might have chosen being an influencer as their university major. Others? Well, they might not even be humanโฆ
Influencers of the Future Major in it
Degu Cyber University recently began offering an influencer studies major. And yes, the major is intended to teach students how to become an influencer. They offer courses in content planning, video production and editing, channel development, and live commerce.
Click Here to learn more about the major.
How is This a Real Major?
Not going to lie, my first reaction to learning you can major in being an influencer was โ no way. There is no way they are giving out actual degrees in this. But actually, when I thought about it a bit more, it began to make sense.
Being an Influencer is Work
KoreabyMe has an entire side of our company that manages foreign influencers in Korea. The amount of effort Iโve seen put into influencer marketing is absolutely insane. Most people donโt realize it, but the majority of influencers are putting together independent films and advertising campaigns, entirely by themselves on the daily.
To be a successful influencer, you need business, editing, photography, videography, acting, modeling, and many more skills. There are majors for each of those skill sets. And so, it does make practical sense to have a professionally focused major touching on all of the skills needed for the profession of being an influencer.
Is Majoring in Being an Influencer Practical?
Now that weโve established that being an influencer can be a profession, letโs talk about Single-person media as an up-and-coming industry.
Think about it, do kids watch TV? or do they watch TikTok? All over the world, children are turning away from the TV and towards their phones. And, what they are watching are small, independent creators โ influencers and there is no indication that the trend will die down anytime soon.
However, before you get your hopes too high, influencers might also have an expiration date. Here in Korea, companiesโ virtual humans have already begun to be created to replace real human influencers.
Virtual Humans as Influencers
Virtual humans arenโt new. If youโre into emerging technologies, chances are you have already come across a few. But, you probably werenโt totally convinced. With most, there is a tell. The lighting is a bit off, or something about it just doesnโt look quite right.
Butโฆ.letโs take a look at Korean Virtual Humans.
Korean Virtual Humans
Three of the best virtual humans Iโve come across are Alia, Yun Sina, and Lizzie. They donโt look digital. These girls look completely human. In fact, Iโve seen some humans who look less human than them.
Lizzie
Lizzie Yeo is a project that was created by the Korean tourism board. She is probably the best virtual human to date.
See if you can spot the difference between her and a real girl! She has both an Instagram and a TikTok. While the best artists may be able to create an extremely realistic woman in a photo, video work is on a whole other level. If I hadnโt known the tourism organization made her, and just saw the videos in passing, I probably wouldnโt question them.
To read more about the Lizzie project, Click Here.
Yun Sina
This virtual human was created by a company called TPart. Not much is known about her creators. However, she appears to be part of a family of virtual humans called Topics.
Aliya
Aliya isnโt a virtual human, she is a virtual mermaid who lost her fins.
Although she is also a very realistic virtual human. Personally, I really like the touch of fantasy her creators gave her. I think that as people become more accustomed to seeing virtual humans on her feed, we will see more fantasy-inspired virtual beings become influencers. Is it just me, or would it be a lot of fun to follow a super-realistic dragon puppy on Instagram?
The Influencers of The Future
So, with majoring in being an influencer now a thing as virtual humans are among us, what is the future of influencing?
Well, for now, real humans are a lot cheaper than virtual ones. Business-wise, I donโt think technology will be replacing influencers just yet. However, it does seem as if the profession is moving towards being on the same level as other forms of media. We can expect that in the near future more entertainment companies will form around influencers.
My hope is that it doesnโt become too streamlined and that content creators are still able to shine their original light.
Want to learn more about technology in Korea, Click Here to read about NFTs and the start of the Meta Multiverse.
