How to Help the Digital Poor in China Report on my Ph.D. dissertation Hui Yan, Ph.D. Nankai University

How to Help the Digital Poor in China

Report on my Ph.D. dissertation

Hui Yan, Ph.D.Nankai University

Outline

• Preface• Literature Review• Research Design• Findings• Conclusions

April 20, 2023 2HuiYan@CISSPKU2011

PREFACEHow to Help the Digital Poor in China


April 20, 2023 HuiYan@CISSPKU2011 4

ignificant revolutions of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been creating a brand-new ubiquitous digital era, and broadening new dimensions for social structure.


S

The research aims to collect empirical data on digital inequality phenomena in China society, especially recognize the typical digital poor communities and provide first-hand experiences for establishing information institution for the disadvantaged communities.






LITERATURE REVIEWHow to Help the Digital Poor in China


• If interested, contacted with me by 15522439538 or [email protected]


mailto:[email protected]

RESEARCH DESIGN




Methods: data collection

• Focus groups 45 interviewees from 4 communities in

Yangquan(Shanxi), Beijing, Tianjin• Ethnographic Futures Research 10 interviewees• Second-hand statistics data CNNIC/Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS) • Online survey & Questionnaire, Involved

observation


Methods: data analysis

• Descriptive statistics• Regression statistics• Comparative analysis• Case analysis• Ethnographic futures analysis• Content analysis


FINDINGS



WHO’RE THE DIGITAL POOR IN CHINA?

Findings


Findings-1


Findings-2

• Material poor communities• Digital-Illiterate communities• Weakly/un-motivated communities


Findings-3

• Rural Communities• Seniors• Laid-off workers


Rural Communities-1





Rural Communities-2

• Whether or not rural households decide to acquire ICT devices like computers and cell phones and get connected to the Internet depends on whether or not they have school-age children and their needs of study and recreation.


Rural Communities-3

• Seniors in rural areas generally don’t access to ICT and the Internet.


Rural Communities-3

• There’s no non-profit or profit public technology center in YANCUN community, including cyber bars, community technology center (CTC), and free computers in public library.


Rural Communities-4

• No successful case of ICT application in rural community appears in YANCUN community


Seniors-1


Seniors-2

China has already come into aging society at the beginning of the new century. It’s reported by the People’s Daily that senior population accounts for 12% (160 million) of China society by the end of 2009.


Seniors-3

• Seniors over 60 years old make up 16.79% of the whole sample in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong (1211 of 7212); and furthermore 93.97% (1138) of the interviewees in this senior community belong to non-netizens (CFPS 2008)


Seniors-4

• Site visit: Huangzhuang Community in Haidian District of Beijing

• Family members of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) employees especially experts account for main body of the community members. 2 of the 16 interviewees from this community are between 50-60, others over 60.



Seniors-5

• Only one of them has ever used computer


Reasons of no access-1

• not living with their children, therefore no computer to access at home;

• too expensive to own computer and Internet services;

• eyesight affected by aging, and no ability to read words and pictures online;


Reasons of no access-2

• mastering no knowledge and skills about ICT especially computers and the Internet;

• no intention or motivation to access to ICT;

• only individual senior residents needing technical support.


Seniors-6

• Site visit: NANZHUANG Community located YangQuan of Shanxi Province

• Those over 40 years old occasionally even seldom access and use ICTs.





Seniors-7

• Site visit: YUEYAHE BEILI Community in Hebei District of Tianjin

• Senior groups rarely have experiences in ICT, far lagged behind other groups



Laid-off workers-1

Data source: NBSC, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS).Figure 2. Changing trend of the registered laid-off workers ratio in urban China (1991-2008)


Laid-off workers-2

• Site visit: YUEYAHE BEILI Community in Tianjin

• There exist 485 workers who have been sacked from state-owned enterprises and account for 7.32% of the community residents.


Laid-off workers-3

“When Community Residents Committee recruited workers for the laboring security, I got the big chance to be interviewed. They asked me whether or not I could use computers. I replied that I can only start it. I began my new job only after primary training of computer knowledge. Although computer is my working tool, I hate surf the Internet, especially the online gaming. I NEVER use computer at home. Even though my daughter wishes to teach me more skills in computer, I always refuses her request. ” (The interviewee C)


Laid-off workers-4

• “I even forget Chinese Pinyin, how could I type correctly and play Chinese Chess by myself ?” (The interviewee A)

• The interviewee B seems like lack of basic impulse, interest, or knowledge about ICT, therefore keeps silent during the focus group.


INDEPENDENT VARIABLES OF THE DIGITAL POOR IN CHINA

Findings


Digital Consciousness


）（ 034.2*019.0*1.1*188.0)1000/ln(*347.0*462.01

1

ATSIEe

P

E为受教育水平， I为收入， S为社会地位感知， T为上网时间与工作日休闲时间之比， A为年龄。

Critical Digital Behavior


E为受教育水平， I为收入， A为年龄。

）（ 181.2*067.0)1000/*ln(839.0*274.11

1

AIEe

P

2035 SCENARIOS OF CHINA INFORMATION SOCIETY


Findings


传统公益信息组织数字贫困社群新兴公益组织

乐观前景

平等免费的 ICT接入机会

普遍的数字化信息素养

丰富的数字化生活

平等的数字化就业机会

贫困社群受惠于网络经济

公益信息事业壮大

乐观前景

泛在公益信息服务体系建成

中国数字贫困社群将消失

数字化生活将极其丰富

智能互联网与知识检索实现

信息共享程度将非常高

网络信用和安全制度健全

乐观前景

泛在网络社会建成

信息社会全面覆盖到农村

尊重知识产权的社会氛围

城市化程度应该很高

乡村公益信息组织成为自由

信息空间

悲观前景

网络负面影响扩散

贫困社群生活无法数字化

就业前景不理想不明朗

无法控制自然环境灾难

悲观前景


信息社会两极分化更加严重

互联网络使用成本非常高

公益信息服务机构畸形发展

悲观前景


信息社会两极分化更加严重

农村等地成为另一个非洲

公益信息服务机构生存困难

极可能出现的前景

平等免费 ICT接入机会增加

信息素养普及到大部分人

公益信息事业发达


泛在公益信息服务发达

数字贫困社群的关注度加大

网络安全问题严重


无法预测，受限现实因素

更加丰富的数字化生活机遇

公益信息机构逐步壮大

Optimistic scenarios-1

• future society will absolutely offer equal and free-of-charge opportunities to ICT;

• every citizen will be equipped with basic and sustainable information literacy;

• colorful digital lives will bring digital poor community members “extra welfare”;

• future information society will create sufficient digital jobs for digital poor communities;


• network economy will increase their earnings;

• non-profit organizations (NPO) specialized in community ICT applications will be strong enough to help the digital poor communities in China to move up to digital middle classes and even the digital rich

Optimistic scenarios-2


• negative impacts of the Internet expand without effective controls;

• divide between the digital poor and the digital rich become broader;

• the problem of employment get worse with economic breakdown;

• digital poor communities couldn’t enjoy colorful life of digital society.

Pessimistic scenarios


• there will be more equal and free-of-charge ICT access opportunities, either in public sectors or non-profit sectors;

• digital literacy become popularized among citizens especially digital poor community members;

• the Internet would become more reliable;

• NPO in information sector would become stronger power .

The most probable scenarios


CONCLUSIONS



Digital poor communities in current China are indeed the shadows of social classes at the bottom of the pre-digital social stratification. More institutional improvements should be made to not-for-profit information services to achieve a ubiquitous networked society in an all-round way.


QUESTIONS /COMMENTS



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How to Help the Digital Poor in China Report on my Ph.D. dissertation Hui Yan, Ph.D. Nankai University