The State Duma suggested making a list of info providers, creating standards for online educational services, and monitoring the tax deductions of bloggers who sell courses and trainings on social networks.
Today, at a closed meeting on the topic 'Problems of additional professional education in digital format,' these suggestions were announced.
The meeting was attended not only by parliamentary deputies but also by government officials, security officials, and social activists. Igor Ashmanov, President of Kribrum and a member of the Human Rights Council, presented a report on info providers at the meeting.
Ashmanov informed the meeting participants that courses, lectures, marathons, and conferences are becoming the main products of info providers. These bloggers usually promise their followers success, easy money, family strengthening, youth, beauty, and weight loss.
According to Ashmanov’s report, info providers first create an image of depression, boredom, and poverty, convince others of the need to fulfill their dreams, and then give very basic advice, for example, 'love yourself', learn to 'be in a state of resource', 'send a signal to the universe', and 'breathe the uterus' to become a 'plus woman' or 'magnet for men'.
Kribrum examined almost 3 million messages on the Web over the past six months that mentioned popular bloggers involved in info providing. The study showed that the main topics of these bloggers' courses and marathons are promoting a successful life (25%), building personal relationships (22%), and physical well-being (14%). To achieve these goals, info providers suggest 'loving yourself', making a 'wish map', completing a 'marathon of desires', starting to 'attract money', and 'unleashing female power'.
Artem and Valeria Chekalina are the authors of 'Money Marathon' and 'Ideal Body' marathon, owners of the Letique cosmetics brand, and Kaif hookah tobacco Instagram.
The Kribrum study shows that the most popular products of info providers on social networks are Elena Blinovskaya’s 'Marathon of Desires', Valeria Chekalina’s 'Money Marathon', Oksana Samoilova’s 'Strategy for a Million', Hussein Hasanov’s 'Millionaire’s Thinking', and Nadine’s 'I Choose You' Serovskaya.
Dmitry Gusev, a deputy participating in the meeting, stated that a working group will be formed following the event to thoroughly study the provision of educational services on the Web. Criteria may be developed to clearly distinguish between bloggers who offer quality educational products and the so-called info providers, requiring the qualification requirements for such bloggers to be developed.
Deputy Sergei Kabyshev mentioned that several people had complained to the Duma about being deceived by dishonest bloggers. He stressed the need to regulate this uncontrolled area by sending requests to various authorities for checking the activities of such bloggers.
