Recently, various online interest classes have continued to become popular among middle-aged and elderly people, such as "I want to study and fulfill the dream of hosting for middle-aged and elderly people", "Learning these skills, ordinary people can also become elderly Chinese medicine practitioners", "Learn from me for 5 days, and develop good handwriting skills". More and more middle-aged and elderly people are willing to regain their hobbies and talents from their youth through online learning channels such as purchasing online courses and watching live broadcasts. The schedule is filled with rich courses such as photography, calligraphy, recitation, and Eight Section Brocade. Experts remind that when applying for classes, one should consider their own needs, pay carefully, and not fall into the trap of "old scams". Two thousand people were enthusiastic as they took notes and enthusiastically spoke online. "Pay attention to the red characters, use a combination of virtual and real vocal methods, and avoid pinching your throat. Everyone, come with me and inhale - gently I left, just like I came gently..." Recently, at 7:50 every night, 65 year old Liu Qin would stand in front of his phone and follow live classes to learn recitation. On the screen, the teacher in a neat suit demonstrated classic poetry recitation word by word, teaching recitation techniques such as vocalization, breath, and emotion; Outside the camera, Liu Qin was wearing reading glasses and constantly recording knowledge points in his notebook. He also had a microphone beside him. "In order to complete his recitation assignment, I specially asked my son to buy it," the reporter noticed. The live class had just started for 10 minutes, and the number of online viewers in the live room had already approached 2000. Liu Qin listened to the class while keeping an eye on the WeChat group called "5-Day Zero Foundation Recitation Training Camp (Group 34)" with over 200 members. As the class progresses, the teaching assistant will send reference materials such as background music and knowledge outlines in the group chat. This is a recitation class I stumbled upon on a video platform. The 5-day course costs 0 yuan, and the speaker is a renowned university teacher Liu Qin said that she usually enjoys reciting, and most of the group members are middle-aged and elderly people around her age, some of whom are already in their 80s. Everyone is having classes while asking questions and discussing in the group chat, creating an extremely lively atmosphere. The reporter found a wide variety of similar live streaming interest classes on video platforms. There are courses that cultivate interests in photography, calligraphy, painting, as well as life skills such as family communication. There are also health classes that middle-aged and elderly people are more concerned about, including Eight Section Brocade and Traditional Chinese Medicine knowledge. Compared to offline interest classes, the duration of these online live classes is relatively short, usually ranging from 3 to 10 days per session, with one to two hours per day. Tuition fees are particularly attractive, and some even advertise "0 yuan public welfare courses" and "1 point to compete for spots". Low prices are a major reason for attracting middle-aged and elderly people to flock to online interest classes. Mr. Lu, who has just retired, signed up for a mobile photography class online for 1 yuan and studied for 3 days with live streaming classes, feeling that he has gained something. I mainly want to learn about the functions of mobile phone cameras and master some shooting tips. For daily travel photography, the skills taught in class are sufficient. After class, I can also watch live streaming replays, which is worth spending 1 yuan. Ms. Mo spent 1 cent to purchase the Eight Section Brocade course on a short video platform. After successful payment, the customer service immediately sent a course material package, which included a complete set of action diagrams, practice videos, and explanations for each action. "I haven't learned Eight Section Brocade before, and I want to try something new. I will learn slowly when I have free time. Even if I don't learn for 1 cent in the future, I won't feel heartbroken." With great enthusiasm, the teaching assistant completed the homework enthusiastically and even received a red envelope. The reporter found that these online interest classes for middle-aged and elderly groups are generally taught according to the process of payment, joining groups, attending classes, homework, and answering questions. In addition to the main lecturer, almost 24-hour online teaching assistants are "standard" and very enthusiastic, answering all kinds of questions. Recently, Ms. Chen's father was introduced by a neighbor to join a calligraphy learning group, which consists of calligraphy enthusiasts with an average age of over 60. After dinner every day, my father would receive a phone call and then go into the study to listen to the class and practice calligraphy, "Ms. Chen said. After asking her father, she found out that the call was from the calligraphy teaching assistant, who reminded him one by one before the class started. At first, Ms. Chen was worried that her father had fallen into a fraud trap and reminded him not to click on the payment link casually. However, as the 10 day course was coming to an end, the teacher and teaching assistant did not mention the matter of paying tuition fees. Every day after class, my father would submit homework in the group, exchange ideas with his friends, and the teacher would also select excellent works to give red envelopes as rewards. "Ms. Chen said that although the amount of the red envelope was less than 10 yuan each time, her father was particularly excited every time he received it, and his enthusiasm for learning became even stronger. Why are more and more middle-aged and elderly people enjoying online interest classes? Chen Miaomiao, an associate professor at Capital Normal University who studies educational psychology, believes that in addition to external factors such as relatively low prices and convenient time, there are also internal factors for middle-aged and elderly people to crave socializing and enhance their self-worth. This generation of middle-aged and elderly people generally have a higher level of education, a certain economic foundation, and a higher pursuit of life after retirement Chen Miaomiao said that after leaving their job positions, their social circle narrowed, and through online interest classes, they could meet more like-minded friends and meet their social needs. In addition, the progress made in interest classes can give middle-aged and elderly people a sense of achievement and make up for the loss of being "no longer needed by society" after retirement. In the middle of the survey class, the middle-aged and elderly population began to pay more attention to health, and online health classes such as traditional Chinese medicine, Tai Chi, and Ba Duan Jin were very popular. At 6:30 pm on Saturday, the reporter logged into a certain video platform and searched for "health live classes". There were over 50 live streaming rooms currently broadcasting. Live streaming content can be roughly divided into two categories: exercise accompaniment and health regulation. The former is where the anchor takes middle-aged and elderly people to exercise, which is different from young people pursuing sweating. This type of live content tends to focus on slow paced and simple movements such as fitness exercises, Tai Chi, and Eight Section Brocade; The latter uses traditional Chinese medicine theories to help middle-aged and elderly people regulate their bodies, such as meridian tapping, acupoint massage, etc. The reporter randomly clicked into a live broadcast room, and the screen displayed the anchor's identity as a "traditional Chinese medicine health expert". He was introducing spring health knowledge, and after explaining a simple health action, he took out a health product to promote: "Middle aged and elderly people suffer from joint pain caused by wind. Today, I will introduce a product that contains glucosamine chondroitin sulfate, which can effectively protect joint health..." The reporter found by clicking on the product link in the live broadcast room that orders can be placed directly, with a price of over 100 yuan per bottle. The reporter's investigation found that this phenomenon of "smuggling private goods" not only occurs in health and wellness live streaming classes, but also in online interest classes that are priced at 0 yuan or low to join the group, which are also mixed with a lot of advertisements. Some online courses first attract middle-aged and elderly people to join the group for trial listening at low prices, and then start charging a certain fee when they are interested in further learning. Mr. Qin spent 1 yuan on a video platform to join a group and learn Wudang Tai Chi health kung fu course for 5 days. The teacher introduced himself as an authentic inheritor of Tai Chi, and the course is suitable for middle-aged and elderly people with zero foundation, "he said. After joining the group, the teaching assistant will ask the students to fill out a health plan and send course materials such as sleep exercises and Tai Chi movement decomposition. Every night at 8 o'clock, the teaching assistant will send a live stream link in the group chat, and there will also be video replays after class. After 5 days of studying, he was still unsatisfied and asked the teaching assistant after class if there were any follow-up course arrangements. However, the teaching assistant sent a charging link, saying that he needed to pay 1900 yuan to unlock the follow-up courses, and students who did not pay had to withdraw from the group. I consulted a senior college near my home, and the tuition fee for one semester of offline Tai Chi class is around 1000 yuan. The fees after this course are too high, so I didn't continue studying, "he said. Chen Miaomiao reminds middle-aged and elderly people to be careful of falling into the "trap for the elderly" scam. Some online course platforms or mini programs have problems such as excessive marketing advertisements, illegal sale of health products, and using low-priced courses to attract traffic. Elderly people have a short exposure time to online platforms and poor discernment ability. When encountering payment situations, they need to be cautious to prevent falling into the trap of 'cheating on the elderly'. She said that when paying for online courses, they should consider their own needs, consider cost-effectiveness, and keep their eyes open. Online courses on health and wellness often have the most traps. The speaker usually wears a white coat and holds numerous "titles", and talks endlessly about health knowledge. Not long after the start of the lecture, the topic gradually shifted to the product being sold. There are also some live streaming rooms that attract traffic through methods such as "joining groups to receive gifts". Many middle-aged and elderly people start with small profits and then gradually fall into consumption traps by purchasing health products worth thousands or even tens of thousands of yuan. Regarding this, Chen Min, Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Geriatrics at Beijing Longfu Hospital, pointed out that the current online courses are mixed with good and bad, some of which are pseudo scientific real sales, and some hosts disguise themselves as famous doctors to sell courses. As long as the selling points of the product are attractive enough, middle-aged and elderly people may "passionately place orders" and purchase high priced products at any time. She said that it is worth promoting health and wellness among middle-aged and elderly people, but attention should be paid to discernment and choosing professional channels to obtain health and wellness knowledge. (New Society)