Description: | Financial influencers, or “finfluencers”, have emerged as prominent sources of financial information and education. They can be found using social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. This project examines finfluencers and their content to better understand their role in the financial education landscape. Rather than assessing the impact of finfluencer content on audiences, the project will analyse who finfluencers are, the audiences they seek to reach, and how they present and communicate financial information. Through systematic analysis of finfluencer profiles and content, the research will identify the financial topics they address, the educational strategies they employ, the language and narratives they use, and how they position themselves as credible sources of financial knowledge. The project will also examine the extent to which financial education is combined with entertainment, personal branding, commercial promotion and financial advice. By mapping this emerging form of informal financial education, the research will provide insights into who is shaping financial knowledge online, what they seek to teach, and how financial education is being delivered in digital environments With guidance you will: - identify and sample finfluencers across major social media platforms and develop a dataset of their profiles and financial content;
- systematically code and analyse content to examine who finfluencers are, the audiences they seek to reach, the financial topics they address, how they communicate and frame financial education; and,
- identify educational strategies, personal narratives, entertainment, commercial promotion and financial advice.
Findings will be used to develop a typology of finfluencers and map the nature and delivery of financial education through social media. |
Expected outcomes and deliverables: | The project will produce a detailed profile of finfluencers targeting Australians. You will identify who they are, who they seek to influence, for what purpose, the financial topics addressed and how this is communicated. The findings will help to understand finfluencers informal role as financial educators. Understanding audience engagement and effectiveness of digital financial education is also an outcome.
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Suitable for: | You will ideally have a strong interest and experience in social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, with a good understanding of how content is created, presented and shared across these platforms. Interest in financial education, consumer behaviour and digital communication is also desirable.
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