Contextualizing the rural in digital studies: A computational literature review of rural-digital relations

Zhang, Qian; Webster, Natasha A.; Han, Shengnan; Ayele, Workneh Yilma

doi:10.1016/j.techsoc.2023.102373

Cited by 8 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 101 publications

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“…This study thus advocates for digital platforms to associate themselves with a heightened sensitivity to the complexity and multifaceted characteristics of rural contexts, and to recognise the rural as a distinct assemblage of social, economic and cultural practices (Zhang et al., 2023). It is emphasised that digital platforms are not necessarily moored in a ‘periphery‐centre’ typology that constantly reproduces the ethos of technological use in developed and urban areas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some emerging enterprises of rural digitalisation have illuminated the interface between the rural and digital platforms and questioned the ‘digital divide’. The ‘digital divide’ is reflected in the accounts of inequalities in accessing ICTs, broadband and digital infrastructure (Pant & Odame, 2017; Roberts et al., 2017; Rotz et al., 2019), as well as advocacy for digital inclusion, which highlights rural communities' limited ability to engage with effectively and benefit from digital advancements due to the lack of cultural capital and educational disparities (Koo & Eesley, 2021; Zhang et al., 2023). With this political‐economic logic of the ‘digital divide’, the rural is trapped in a quagmire of ‘hinterlands as operational landscapes of the digital growth machine’, which incorporates the rural into its process of capital accumulation, transforming it into a hinterland for the colonisation of digital technologies, further reshaping and creating asymmetrical power relations between the rural and the urban (Rosen & León, 2022, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Branding the ‘VBA’ (Village Basketball Association) to revitalise a Miao village: Platform ruralism in the making

Zhang,

Qian

2024

Area

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In recent years, short‐video platforms represented by Douyin (TikTok) and Kuaishou (Kwai) have expanded to rural China. The rural, as an emerging ‘sunken market’ for digital platforms to generate revenue, has become an uncharted terrain for digital platforms to compete for, particularly in the context of the state's rural revitalisation strategy. Yao Shunwei, an independent photographer, uploaded a short video on Douyin in July 2022, recording a village basketball game in a Miao village (Taipan Village) in Guizhou to celebrate the Chixin Festival. The game quickly gained phenomenal popularity on digital platforms and was branded as ‘VBA’ (Village BA, appropriating the term NBA), contributing significantly to the revitalisation of the village. So far, work on rural places in their entanglement with digital platforms remains limited, lopsided on the rhetoric of a digital divide between the urban and the rural. Proposing the tentative concept of platform ruralism, this study probes into the emergent rural subjectivities and agencies vis‐à‐vis the negotiation, adaptation, innovation and autonomy of rural economies, livelihoods and socio‐cultural practices as they are imbricated by digital technologies and platforms. As such, it looks at how digital platforms have rescaled rural basketball activities and turned them into a nationally influential brand to enhance the wellbeing, social cohesion and cultural identity of rural communities. The branding of ‘VBA’ demonstrates how the rural can take on an active and resilient role in the rise of digital platforms.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Branding the ‘VBA’ (Village Basketball Association) to revitalise a Miao village: Platform ruralism in the making

Zhang,

Qian

2024

Area

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Positioning Rural Geography into Platform Economies: Why We Need to Ask New Questions When Researching the Rural Platform Economy

Zhang,

Webster

2024

Economic Geography

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A rapidly growing body of work explores platform-mediated economy and work under the umbrella term ‘Platform Urbanism’. This focus and academic discourse risk keeping digital spaces and practices in the rural context in the shadow or subordinated to urban-based understandings. Concurrently, digital studies on the rural have for long focused on technocratic approaches to improving information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and connectivity. While recently the potentials of digitalization in transforming agriculture, small businesses, health care, and transportation in rural areas are receiving significant attention, these debates remain surprisingly disconnected from vibrant discussions of the platform economy. Thus, the remaking of rural geographies through the platform economy, and vice versa, remains under-examined. This chapter addresses the importance of spatiality and geography in considering the platform economy with examples of rural small business and agriculture. It illustrates why the nuances and complexity of rural spaces need to become part of understanding the dynamics of the platform economy. Centring rural as important and spatially significant not only lifts the complexity of rural platform processes but also creates opportunities for new questions and patterns. Rural geographical perspectives highlight relational and interlocking spaces found in the rural platform economy and offer the potential for a deeper understanding of social-technical-spatial relations.

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Unveiling the Smart Vision Emerging in ICT-Enabled Rural Development

Thapa

2024

IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology

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Contextualizing the rural in digital studies: A computational literature review of rural-digital relations

Cited by 8 publications

References 101 publications

Branding the ‘VBA’ (Village Basketball Association) to revitalise a Miao village: Platform ruralism in the making

Branding the ‘VBA’ (Village Basketball Association) to revitalise a Miao village: Platform ruralism in the making

Positioning Rural Geography into Platform Economies: Why We Need to Ask New Questions When Researching the Rural Platform Economy

Unveiling the Smart Vision Emerging in ICT-Enabled Rural Development

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