The modernization of peasants, that is inseparable from the modernization of agriculture
and countryside, has been examined in communication studies mainly focusing on the consequences
of mass media. Based on the field investigation in Baima village, this paper puts forward the concepts
of rural community media and individuals’ information modernization as analytical framework to
explore the correlation between media use and personal development of the peasants. Result shows
that the traditional community media such as audio broadcasts hardly function nowadays and WeChat
groups are rising to be appealed to. However, in accordance with the purpose and preference for selfentertaining,
the use of WeChat groups does not result in improvements of peasants’ knowledge or
cognitive structure. In the light of the investigation, the practices of rural communication in future
should make more efforts to improve quality of contents and efficiency of delivery in additional to the
relatively well-developed media infrastructure.