The State Duma suggested making a list of internet gurus, setting standards for online education, and monitoring tax breaks for bloggers selling courses on social media.
These suggestions were made at a private meeting about issues in digital professional education.
The meeting was attended by deputies from all political groups, as well as government officials, security personnel, and social activists. Igor Ashmanov, President of Kribrum, spoke at the meeting about internet gurus.
Ashmanov stated that internet gurus mainly offer courses, lectures, and conferences, promising their followers success, money, family happiness, youth, beauty, and weight loss.
Ashmanov's report stated that internet gurus first create a sense of depression and poverty, persuade people to follow their dreams, and then give basic advice like 'love yourself' and 'breathe the uterus'.
Kribrum studied nearly 3 million online messages over the past six months that mentioned popular bloggers involved in internet guru activities. The study found that the main topics of their courses and events are promoting a successful life, building personal relationships, and physical well-being.
Artem and Valeria Chekalina are the creators of the 'Money Marathon' and the 'Ideal Body' marathon, and also own the Letique cosmetics brand and Kaif hookah tobacco Instagram.
The Kribrum study found that the most popular products of internet gurus on social media were 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 Serovskaya's 'I Choose You'.
Deputy Dmitry Gusev (SRZP) mentioned that after the meeting, it was decided to form a working group to study the online education sector in detail and develop criteria to distinguish between quality educational bloggers and so-called internet gurus.
