From the perspective of human nature, it is often difficult to achieve ideal results if rural residents are passive to improve their media literacy. So the key lies in their active participation.
Multiple measures can be taken to broaden rural residents’ media cognition. In terms of media knowledge reserve, in the first place, government policy support and funding are required to ensure complete coverage of rural network and reduction of rural residents’ information cost. This is the premise to increase rural residents’ media knowledge reserve. Second, media-related training should be provided for rural residents through government leading, institutional collaboration and public welfare promotion. Third, follow-up service mechanism should be established and improved, the green service channel for telecom enterprises should be opened, and professionals should be in place to provide follow-up consultative services for rural residents. In terms of strengthening rural residents' grasp and application of media skills, firstly online and offline promotion activities should be carried out to combine media knowledge with practice and help rural residents accumulate experience in media practice. Secondly, media application-related contests or games suitable for rural residents, with online points or offline rewards, can be organized to mobilize the enthusiasm in media skills. Thirdly, special media application services based on living needs of rural residents can be provided, such as payment of living expenses, daily shopping, medical insurance and social security, in order to increase rural users’ stickiness to media applications.
We should influence rural residents via culture and deepen their affection for media. As the grass-roots mainstream platform that serves rural residents, county-level media convergence centers should take the lead to select media text which is characterized by positive rural culture elements, rural life scenarios and local customs, such as local dialect, village regulations, non-governmental agreements, unsophisticated sentiment and folk customs in order to build cultural awareness among rural residents and get their emotional trust. As for the presentation form of media text, county-level media convergence workers should conduct more research/ investigation and have more understanding, go into the countryside to get to know rural residents’ appeals, choose the form rural residents like, and try to present a special rural picture with vitality, so as to reinforce rural residents’ cultural confidence and emotional connection. Rural residents can be invited to media communication to increase their emotional input.
We should have rural residents gain the initiative to reform their media behavior. We can train media-related opinion leaders and mobilize party members and cadres to play a leading role. At the same time, as digital rural economic construction is in full swing, we can combine rural residents’ pursuit of wealth with rural digital economy, and conduct live-streaming e-commerce to have the land that they rely on connect with media platforms so that they can reap the benefits of digital marketing and e-commerce and have more enthusiasm for media use. In addition, county-level media convergence platforms can carry out general vocational skills training, academic education and agricultural service courses to improve rural residents’ agricultural skills and professional quality, enhance their media participation, encourage their active media behavior, and develop their sense of participation through county-level media convergence platforms.
Issued on April 14, 2022