Reconstruction of Village Governance in Virtual Space: A Case Study from a Platform Perspective

Theoretically, rural digital transformation might fail due to insufficient digital literacy among villagers. However, observations show that some digital governance platforms have successfully engaged villagers. Why are these platforms able to activate villager participation? This article investigates from the platform's perspective, focusing on a village-level service platform in China.

The transition of governance from offline to online involves significant changes rather than mere replication, particularly in administrative processes, villager interaction, and information dissemination. These changes are influenced by the platform's roles as a technology, a product, and an intermediary.

In China, villages operate as "relational societies" with typically informal and unstandardized offline governance. As a technology, the normative nature of technology necessitates that the platform's processes be standardized and closed-loop. Moreover, villages often lack incentives for villager participation. As a product, the platform must enhance activity levels to ensure its survival, thereby adopting various motivational measures. Offline governance is constrained by time and space, limiting the speed and quantity of information villagers receive. As an intermediary, the platform's crucial role is to "connect," linking numerous entities and aggregating extensive information, thus breaking through spatial and temporal barriers.

The platform redefines village operations through rule design, incentive systems, and information connectivity, achieving a "reconstruction" of village governance in virtual space, which in turn activates villagers' participation. This reconstruction reshapes the public value, transforming offline governance structures. The platform continually harmonizes online and offline governance structures, achieving mutual penetration between them.