‘Cloud supervisor’: China demand for virtual study chaperones with attitude soars amid growing pressure to excel academically
- Virtual ‘companions’ make sure students stay sharp and on the job but also offer companionship and stress relief
- Paid-for service is one of a growing number of similar offers in China, including one which tells jokes to cheer people up
The continually growing pressure to excel academically in China has seen a jump in demand for a new online business – virtual study supervision and companionship.
On the country’s largest e-commerce platform Taobao, Juanwu Studio, a shop specialising in virtual study supervision services, has more than 1,600 followers and hundreds of monthly orders.
Taobao is operated by Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post.
For the paltry price from less than 20 yuan (US$2.8) to 128 yuan customers can receive 10 hours of dedicated online service, from keeping students company during their studies via video calls, to working closely together and warning them if their concentration dips.
As well as the one-on-one service, the shop also sells tickets to an online study room it set up on a video call app, where people can study with others.
One buyer of such a ticket said: “The online study room offers me a learning experience that studying alone at home just does not provide.”