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The up-take rate of internet adoption in rural China still hovers at a low level, and the informational divide between urban and rural areas remains wide. This book addresses the digital divide by exploring the reasons behind the lagging adoption of the internet in rural communities in China.

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Utility Drives Adoption: Understanding Internet Accessibility in Rural China addresses the deep digital divide in China by exploring the reasons behind the lagging adoption of the internet in rural communities. With a four-year study and in-depth investigation into a number of rural communities across China, author Mingrui Ye unfolds a picture of internet use in rural villages and answers the questions why and in what scenario rural residents will or will not adopt internet-based digital devices like laptops or tablets.

Additionally, this book contributes to diffusion theory with a newly established research model, by which new determinants responsible for internet adoption were discovered and mutual relations between influential factors at different levels revealed. A series of solutions to improve the adoption rate of the internet in rural China are suggested for implementation at multiple levels. Utility Drives Adoption not only provides a deeper understanding of internet adoption in rural communities but also revisits the theory of innovation diffusion with newly developed perspectives and research models. This book serves as a useful guide for researchers and students in relevant fields to further explore internet utility and adoption in rural China.

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List of Figures - Acknowledgments - List of Abbreviations - Introduction - To Be Bridged: Perspectives From Literature and Reality - An Overview of Symbolic Interactionism: Theoretical Framework and Methodological Approach - Contextual Analysis: Interactions With Social Settings - Diffusion Network Analysis: Interactions With the Immediate Environment - Innovation: Attributes of the Internet - Discussion and Conclusions.

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Mingrui Ye received his PhD from the University of South Australia in 2014. He is currently an associate professor at Communication University of China.

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