To move closer or farther away: Active domestication and limited role of using digital media by the visually impaired people in China

Abstract

There are about 13 million visually disabled people in China, among which more than 8 million are blind. As an information-vulnerable group, they have unequal access to digital media. In this context, this study, by applying domestication theory, analyzes the use of digital media by the visually impaired in China based on 40 deep interviews and finds out that digital media, as a necessary opportunity, can indeed create more possibilities for increasing the social participation and improving the daily life of the visually impaired. But due to systematic and personal factors, this opportunity cannot be enjoyed by all visually impaired people. Visually impaired people have a strong subjective initiative, which can weaken the impact of digital exclusion on themselves to a certain extent. But social inclusion still determines the effect of digital inclusion, which needs to be taken seriously.