The Flow of Information as Empowerment and the Changing Social Networking Landscape in Rural China

LIBRARY TRENDS, Vol. 62, No. 1, 2013 (“Community Informatics in China,” edited by Kate Williams), pp. 81–94. © 2013 The Board of Trustees, University of Illinois Abstract The article explores the ways in which Chinese villagers adapt cell phone technology to their needs and desires in the context of rural urbanization. The first part of the article uses an example from two villages in Western China to trace the adoption of cell phone technology by rural people, particularly those with minimal experience using landline phones. Then, by examining a case in which cell phones are being used as gifts in rural Chinese society, it goes on to reflect upon the ways in which ICTs are changing everyday interactions between family and kinship members. The second part of the article looks at how villagers use cell phones as substitutes for landline phones to obtain and exchange information in markets. Mobile adoption not only enables individuals to possess greater bargaining power in market exchange but also indicates that community-based information inclusion may be an effective means for diminishing regional disparities in China.