PWR 2CWC: Digital Gurus: Influencer Culture Rhetoric & Ramifications

This course explores the rise of the modern digital “guru” and today’s influencer culture. Once rare figures associated with wisdom and exclusivity, gurus-cum-influencers are now ubiquitous across social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, blending spiritual guidance, lifestyle coaching, and personal branding. In this course, we examine how digital gurus construct authority, craft persuasive personas, and shape communities online, asking what distinguishes them from traditional gurus and what their popularity reveals about rhetorical power in the digital age. Students analyze the techniques these figures use—storytelling, embodiment, aesthetics, and platform-savvy performance—and reflect on what makes someone compelling, credible, and influential.

Examples of Research Topics

Projects for this class generally fall under one of three umbrellas: case studies of the rhetoric of an influencer/space (manosphere, fitfluencers, finfluencers, wellness, doctok, tradwives), semantic and rhetorical analyses of influencer fandoms/followers (comments, content), or analyses of the rhetorical affordances of different influencer genres (short form, long form, videos, podcasting, etc.)

PWR 2 Assignment Sequence                                                                           

Research Proposal

(3-5 minute live oral presentation; written proposal of 900-1200 words; reflective memo of 250 words): Students develop and pitch a research project that analyzes the rhetorical practices of  an influencer/space, platform, or fandom. The proposal identifies their influencer and the rhetorical practices they plan to study, explains why the case is compelling, and outlines their preliminary research questions, methods, and working research bibliography for the quarter. 

Written Research-Based Argument

(3000-3600 words; 10-12 pages): Students write an original research essay that draws on secondary research and may incorporate primary research methods such as interviews, surveys, discourse analysis, or platform analysis to develop an argument about the rhetoric and social stakes of their influencer/platform/fandom.

Research Presentation

(10-minute live oral presentation with appropriate multimedia support): Students deliver a polished and engaging research talk intended for a general audience on their  guru/sphere, explaining the key rhetorical elements of their brand—visual, verbal, performative, or platform-driven - and the cultural stakes therein.