By Sally Fay
The global proliferation of the internet has spurred a sea change in modern society, affecting virtually every aspect of our lives. It’s even spawned new social concepts like ‘viral moments’ and ‘internet fame.’ The profusion of content creators and potential influencers on platforms such as Instagram, Twitch, and TikTok has reshaped how businesses communicate with consumers, as a strong online following often attracts the interest of brands who aim to expand their marketing channels.
So what does it take to stand out in an online space where almost anyone in the world can create and disseminate interactive content? Three high-internet-profile Baruch alumni share their perspectives on attaining and navigating social media fame.
Spreading the News
Those who think they know New York City might be surprised by what they can learn from John Friia (’15). For the past five years, Friia has been sharing City-centric content as the creator and face of Here in New York, primarily on TikTok (@HereInNYC) and Instagram (@here_in_ny). His posts, which spotlight community-focused news events, hidden-in-plain-sight gems, and quirky historical tales, have amassed more than 20 million views and 300,000-plus followers.
Friia, who describes himself as a content creator with a journalistic bent, says that his love for sharing stories was ignited by writing for the school newspaper in junior high. A journalism major at Baruch, he wrote professionally for his local Long Island paper and various NYC publications and, after earning a TV journalism–focused master’s degree at CUNY’s Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, worked as a content producer for News 12 and NY1.
“Local news was always my passion because those are the stories that directly impact people’s day-to-day lives,” he says.
Friia began creating online content as a way to share his beloved city with a broader demographic. A self-described one-man band, he serves as Here in New York’s researcher, scriptwriter, online talent, videographer, editor, and publicist. He’s been covered by the New York Post and Newsweek, appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show and NBC’s New York Live, and landed a monthly segment on PIX11’s lifestyle news program New York Living.
He’s increased his visibility through a collaboration with Curb, producing weekly videos that air on Taxi TV.
“Getting messages from people saying they see me on the backseat taxi screens while they’re on the go in New York is just surreal,” he says.
Friia attributes his internet success in part to the storytelling and production skills he’s honed, plus his sense of what resonates with viewers. Subway and public transportation videos always perform well, he notes (his video about the launch of NYC congestion pricing hit more than 12 million views on Instagram).
“New Yorkers have a love-hate relationship with the subway; we like to complain about it, so those videos get lots of engagement.”
Current internet fame notwithstanding, Friia is mindful of the possible pitfalls of a social media marketing career.
“As a creator, you need to stay on top of not only internet trends but also the changing political and social climate,” he says, citing current uncertainty surrounding TikTok ownership and access as one example. But he says he’s prepared to shift gears and take Here in New York to avenues other than social media.
For now, though, Friia is savoring—and sharing—the perks of his internet fame, such as access to off-limits areas of iconic sites.
“I’ve seen the Empire State Building from the river that runs underneath it all the way to the 105th floor at the base of the antenna—literally the top—where people who built it wrote their names, and where I got to leave my mark as well,” he says. “A real pinch-me moment.”
Recipe for Success
For self-described foodie Gavriella Grossman (’22), social media started out as an entertaining vehicle for exploring and sharing her enthusiasm for food and cooking.
“I launched my Instagram account, NY Food Sharings, in 2013 while in middle school,” says the New York City native. “During the era of the crazy rainbow bagels and milkshakes with giant slices of cake on top.”
Back then, Grossman had no thoughts of building a career out of what she saw as a hobby. Then one of her posts yielded an invitation to visit a restaurant and create content about it. After that, she began networking at influencer events and learning about the business side of online content creation.
Since then, Grossman has forged a career in the food space, both under her Instagram (~200,000 followers) and TikTok (300,000+ followers) @nyfoodsharings accounts and as a full-time content creator for New York–headquartered Chip City and, currently, H&H Bagels, where she’s also their social media manager.
“We’re just building our social media presence and have been expanding nationwide, so it’s been an awesome challenge,” she says.
Though Grossman briefly focused on her own social media full-time after graduating from Baruch with a degree in business communications, it wasn’t a fit.
“I found it stressful to live brand deal to brand deal, so my current path is the best of both worlds.”
The popularity of NY Food Sharings’ food-and cooking-related content translates to a variety of revenue streams for Grossman, including brand-sponsored posts and user-generated content (which Grossman creates specifically for a client company’s use). Among her partnerships, she’s worked with chains like Starbucks and Raising Cane’s on high-profile Manhattan openings and has teamed with brands such as Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Doritos on recipe content.
Grossman’s Baruch education has played an important role in preparing her for success as an online content creator.
“I took an awesome public relations class where I learned about the role of social media in PR campaigns. It proved to be really helpful in understanding what companies are looking for when they work with influencers and content creators.”
Grossman says it’s hard work, but also a fun challenge, to stay relevant as a content creator amidst the crowded social media landscape.
“A lot of it is networking and making good connections with brands,” she says. “My aim is to make sure that their marketing goals are achieved with my content in a way that also aligns organically with my audience.”
Whether posting paid or unpaid content on her social media, Grossman is mindful of what resonates with her followers.
She notes that pasta content does well.
“My socials are like 90 percent pasta,” she explains.
She says that viewers seem to find sensory imagery like cheese pulls or gooey chocolate “really satisfying. I tried doing healthier content, but I love posting the indulgent, amazing food I taste and sharing New York’s incomparable food scene. So, everything in moderation.”
A Virtual Community
When Hailey Ra (’24) launched her TikTok account (@haileyra) back in 2019, she never imagined she’d experience a viral moment that would change her life.
Then a teenager in suburban Rochester, New York, where her parents run a martial arts school, Ra enjoyed creating and sharing videos for her friends’ and her own amusement. In 2020, she posted a clever take on a popular TikTok trend, ‘cheat on me I dare you,’ featuring her family: third-degree Taekwondo black belt mom, sixth-degree black belt dad, and her two brothers (who, like their sister, are fourth-degree black belts).
The video became a TikTok hit, garnering more than 20 million views on that platform alone. A post showing her and her brother, with whom she performs in international Taekwondo competitions, sharing a silly moment in their training garb was even more popular.
As her follower count ballooned (Ra now has more than 760,000 followers on TikTok and some 70,000 on her Instagram account, @hailey.ra), advertisers took notice, including big players like Nike and combat sports promoter ONE Championship.
“It was really exciting when I first got reached out to,” she says. “Dealing with content marketing has been a huge learning experience.”
Ra’s marketing collaborations have evolved along with her content.
“It has shifted to sharing more dimensions of my life and my identity. That’s definitely opened up niches for dealing with a lot more diverse brands.”
In her experience, marketers are looking for exposure that feels authentic and real.
“The audience is smart; I can’t pull out some outlandish excuse just to promote a product,” she says. “It’s also really important to me that it’s something I’d genuinely use myself or would share with friends or family.”
Since graduating from Baruch with a degree in human resource management, Ra has been balancing her work as a content creator with her full-time job as a talent acquisition professional for NYC-based multispecialty medical group Rendr. She credits Baruch with giving her the skills and tools to approach her social media presence as a business rather than just a hobby. But even without the income stream, Ra says she’d still be sharing videos.
“When I launched my account it was just for fun, but I’ve continued doing it because it’s a way not only to connect with people who share common backgrounds and interests like martial arts, but also to share more about my life and my world with people who didn’t know about it.”
She recounts the feeling of community when she and her brother represented the United States last fall at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Hong Kong.
“Athletes from countries all over the world were like, ‘We know you guys!’ It was so cool. Social media brought us together on a more personal level. I think that’s my favorite part.”
Innovation Ahead
As in many success stories, these Baruch alumni rose to social media prominence through a combination of talent, entrepreneurship, hard work, and a little serendipity. They’ve found ways to connect with their audience against a shifting internet backdrop that will continue to evolve.
Whatever yet-to-be-imagined manifestations of the online social landscape the future may bring, it’s a good bet these innovative influencers will find new creative channels through which to share their passions.
Influencer 101
The phenomenon of social media influencers has broad academic, sociological, and political implications, and Baruch is well-versed in the conversation. We asked Stuart Davis, PhD, a media studies expert and associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies in the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, to explain some of the issues at play.
From an academic standpoint, is there a commonly accepted definition of what it means to be a successful ‘social media influencer?’
Drawing on the work of communication scholar Alice Marwick, I’d make a distinction between two different kinds of social media influencers. ‘Social media–enabled influencers’ are celebrities with some degree of fame who use social media to expand their personal brand, make money, or gain influence. The clearest example is President Donald Trump’s mobilization of support and interest through Twitter. The second kind, which I’d call ‘social media micro-celebrities,’ are more or less “normal” people who strategically utilize social media to build and maintain a base of followers—Khaby Lame’s work on TikTok being one example.
Both types draw on a ‘parasocial relationship’ with their audiences, where individual followers can see themselves as friends with or part of the lives of these celebrities.
In terms of what defines success, the simple answer is the number of followers and subsequent influence. These can be monetized or leveraged to create new economic opportunities, or even to build political support.
What factors are driving the phenomenon, and what factors might influence the landscape for influencers and content creators in the future?
From a sociocultural perspective, as social media usage becomes more ubiquitous, people (especially young people) tend to peg both their own sense of self-identity and how they evaluate others on the quantification inherent in these kinds of media.
From the perspective of the influencers (especially young influencers), being a content creator offers the possibility of making a career on one’s own terms amidst an increasingly precarious job market and growing wage deflation in many fields.
As with screenwriters, actors, musicians, and other creative professions, the increasing sophistication of artificial intelligence will be a concern.
Does Baruch integrate the topic into its curriculum?
There are currently several classes in this area, including Social Media Marketing and Contemporary Issues in Digital Media. In addition, both the Zicklin and Weissman schools are seeking to incorporate the idea of “building a personal brand” into a variety of courses.
Beyond the classroom, do you pursue any academic or research interests in the various aspects of social influencers and/or content creators?
I worked on a study that looked at self-branding among journalists covering the U.S.-Mexico border as reflected on Facebook and Instagram. I’ve also published several articles and book chapters looking at how the ‘brand identity’ developed by a prominent Brazilian politician led to irresponsible and dangerous epidemiological practices during the Covid pandemic.