“Knowledge Leveler” of ICT4D to Revitalize Indigenous Knowledge: Evidence from Taobao Villages in Rural China

This paper interprets an information and communication technology (ICT) for development (ICT4D) model that combines technological dimensions of ICTs with a focus on culturally rooted indigenous knowledge systems, aiming to bridge the knowledge gap in the rural Global South. Based on empirical evidence from Taobao villages in rural China, this paper further develops the concept of the “knowledge leveler” proposed by Tichenor et al. (1970). “Knowledge leveler” comprises indigenous knowledge, external resources, and a balancing system. The components of indigenous knowledge, including practical skills (mendao, 门道), acquaintance relationships (renqing, 人情), local beliefs (fengshui, 风水), and cultural landscape (wenmai, 文脉), serve as the axis that keeps indigenous communities unique. The external resources embedded through ICTs act as wheels for development. The interactions and negotiations among actors, including the central government, platform companies, grassroots governments, local industries, and rural e-retailers, sustain the relative stability of the balancing system. For indigenous people in the rural Global South, the “knowledge leveler” facilitates the reclamation of land’s economic significance through revitalizing indigenous knowledge, thus transforming once-marginalized homelands into sustainable anchors of livelihood. This paper further discusses the implications for ICT4D research, practice, and policy.