MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/. More than 40% of Russians believe that social media channels with large followings should be verified, as this would boost trust in influencers. This shows a poll conducted by the Rambler&Co media holding, the results of which became available to TASS.

“43% of surveyed Russians believe that mandatory verification for pages and channels will help regulate the market of bloggers and increase trust in them, 27% are neutral on this matter. Meanwhile, 19% express concern that strict rules could limit the creative potential of content creators,” the study’s results say.

Another 11% of respondents are mostly in favor of the new rules, but note that some aspects should be refined.

The survey also revealed that 21% of respondents regularly interact with online content, another 26% follow a select few creators, while 53% pay no attention to social media influencers or otherwise.

During the survey, 68% of citizens also said that content creators should be held legally accountable for disseminating false information. Another 19% believe this is only appropriate when it comes to socially significant news. There are also those who believe that what content creators put online should not be subject to strict regulation (13%).

On November 1, Russian authorities began documenting social media accounts that had a following of more than 10,000 users. In addition, a mechanism was created to register such channels. Thus, anyone whose account has 10,000 followers or more must submit information about themselves to Russia’s media watchdog (Roskomnadzor) in order to be included in a special register.

Social networks must also add a special sign and unique link to a verified channel’s page, which can be used to ensure that the channel is in fact official. The list itself will not be open to the public.

How the new rules could affect creators

More than a third of respondents (35%) believe that mandatory registration would stifle creators from broadcasting content, while 28%, on the contrary, are convinced that regulation stimulates creativity because it increases public trust. “23% think some creators may give up social media altogether. Only 14% believe that registration will have no effect on social media influencers,” note the authors of the study.

Some respondents also believe that the new rules could change the landscape of online content: according to 44% of respondents, the quality of channels would improve, and 17% believe that their total number would decrease. Some predict that certain channels may convert to traditional media (14%) and the same number (14%) say nothing would change. And 11% are convinced that the content would become more boring.

About the survey

The survey was conducted on the resources of the Rambler&Co media holding between October 25 and October 31, 2024, covering 72,396 Internet users.