Factors Influencing Mass Adoption Of The Internet In China (Mainland)

Internet technology is transforming the way people communicate. Logging onto the Internet, audiences would have access to virtually unbounded source of information, free from such traditional restraints as time and space.According to official source, China's Internet users have reached 33.7 million, and the figure is still soaring. The Internet is becoming an influential mass medium.What are the forces that drive Chinese audiences' adoption of the Internet? This is the research question of the thesis.Analyzing data obtained from China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) within the theoretical framework of Diffusion of Innovation, we find that though the Internet is booming at amazing speed in China (Mainland), it is still in its initial stage of diffusion. In this early stage of diffusion, demographic factors such as audience age, gender and educational level generally carry a great deal of weight on Internet adoption, with the exception of marital status and income level. Network infrastructure development is also strongly associated with Internet adoption.The thesis is composed of 6 parts. Part I introduces the research question and states study approach, method and aims. In the 2nd part, related literature is reviewed and evaluated to find out the suitable theoretical framework for the research. A research hypothesis is put forward in Part HI. Part IV offers a picture of the current situation of Internet adoption in China (Mainland). Part V makes a chronological analysis of available data to examine our hypothesis, and to discuss various influencing factors. Part VI comes to the conclusion and makes suggestions for further researches.