Over the past few weeks thousands of Russian bloggers have united to combat a pharmaceutical scam that tried to persuade Russian pensioners to spend around half of their annual pension on a course of Gravikol 21 - ‘anti-arthritis’ drugs that were actually little more than vitamin pills.
In the course of their campaign, RussiaÂ’s bloggers have not only publicised the scam nationwide, theyÂ’ve forced the notoriously unresponsive Russian government to act.
In perhaps the most startling expression of their offline power, RussiaÂ’s bloggers made 21 million (!) phone calls to the offending companyÂ’s switchboard, forcing it into meltdown.
The story has hardly been heard outside of Russia - try a Google News search for Gravikol, if you donÂ’t believe me - but it will fundamentally alter perceptions of how Russian bloggers can influence Russian public life... |