Digital media empowering rural revitalization: communication pathways in sustainable food systems

The present research examines the communication channels by which the digital media platforms are enabling transformation toward a sustainable food system in rural China. Through a mixed-methods design including 1,500 WeChat, Douyin, and Pinduoduo content samples, this research links the perspectives of Innovation Diffusion Theory, Media Richness Theory, and Sustainable Food Systems Theory. Findings reveal that visual content dominates digital food communication, with localized content receiving significantly greater engagement than non-localized content. Power-law distribution patterns emerged in communication networks, exhibiting core-periphery structures. Individual farmer accounts demonstrated faster initial diffusion compared to enterprise accounts. Thematic discourse analysis indicates economic topics were most prominent, followed by social and ecological dimensions. The findings suggest that visualization, cultural embeddedness, and authenticity are associated with communication effectiveness, and hence offer an empirical basis for improving strategies to develop a digital village.