Recognizing the Digital Poor Communities in China Proof from a Three-Cities Field Study

This paper reports the research findings of a field study which aims to collect empirical data on digital inequality in communities especially the digital poor communities in China. One digital social stratification model is structured to describe the different social classes in digital society; Then through second-hand data analysis, focus groups and Ethnographic Futures Research (EFR), main digital poor communities in Beijing, Tianjin and Yangquan of Shanxi Province are recognized. Rural communities, seniors and the laid-off workers from state-owned enterprises are analyzed in the name of the digital poor communities. The interviewees from these communities also predict the 2035 scenarios of China information society. Some implications for information policy are finally proposed.