A Literature Review on the Impact of the Digital Divide on Residents' Income Gap

Abstract

Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China has successfully accomplished the task of poverty alleviation as scheduled, eradicating absolute poverty in rural areas, and has now entered a new stage of comprehensively advancing rural revitalization. The 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out that "common prosperity is an essential requirement of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and the most arduous and onerous task in building a modern socialist country in an all-round way still lies in rural areas." At present, China’s policies are gradually shifting toward raising the income level of rural residents, enhancing their sense of well-being, and continuously improving their quality of life, striving to push the development of the rural economy to new heights. With the continuous development and transformation of network information technology, the digital economy has not only spawned new social trends but also brought about the issue of the digital divide among Chinese residents. Due to differences in the level of access to and use of network information in rural areas, the income distribution gap caused by the digital divide is gradually widening. Rural residents in China are at a disadvantage compared with urban residents in terms of access to network information technology resources; furthermore, the network information technology resources held among rural residents themselves are also fragmented, making the problem of the digital divide they face quite severe. Therefore, at this stage, how to bridge the digital divide and alleviate the imbalance in income distribution among rural residents has become a key part of realizing social equity, advancing rural revitalization, and safeguarding the achievements of poverty alleviation. Eliminating the digital divide, promoting the income growth of rural residents, and narrowing the income gap among them will help rural residents better engage in the historical process of realizing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.