Photo: Huck
When information travels from one side of the world to another, it often carries pieces of culture with it. Media such as music, film, and radio move between countries just like people do, bringing different traditions, ideas, and perspectives into contact. Because of this movement, cultures rarely stay isolated. Instead, they mix, adapt, and sometimes create something completely new. Migration has played a large role in this process, as diasporic communities bring their cultural practices with them while also interacting with the media and technologies of the places they move to. In this article, I will introduce three examples of how these forms of media contribute to this flow of ideas. Hopefully, it will give you, the reader, a sense of just how much even the smallest flows of media can affect the world.
People living outside their home countries often recreate a sense of identity through connections to traditional music and through gatherings within their communities. Music can be especially powerful in this way because it allows people to express their culture while also adapting to new environments. Fusion music, for example, emerges when musicians from different backgrounds combine their sounds and influences to create something new.1 The arrival of Jamaican migrants in the United Kingdom is one example of this cultural exchange. Jamaican communities brought with them sound system culture, reggae, and dub, which became influential within British urban music scenes. Over time, elements of these styles, such as heavy basslines, remix culture, and DJ techniques, mixed with British electronic dance music. This combination helped shape genres like Jungle and later Drum and Bass, which developed in the UK during the 1990s.2 Reggae itself also became widely popular in the UK, with cities like Cambridge ranking highly in search interest for the genre (Vogue, 2015).3 Jamaican music had already taken influence from Latin America, Africa, and Asia, so when these styles reached Britain they continued to evolve through contact with new musical traditions. Through this process, Jamaican communities in the UK were able to stay connected to their cultural roots while also helping create entirely new forms of music.
Film has also played a role in the movement of cultural ideas across borders. Western films had a strong influence on Japan, introducing Japanese audiences to images of life in the West and offering new perspectives on the wider world.4 For centuries Japan had limited contact with foreign countries, but as films from the United States began entering the country in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, cinema became a new point of cultural connection. During the American occupation after the Second World War, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers reviewed Japanese cinema and encouraged the production of films that promoted democratic values, while wartime productions were banned5. Over time, however, Japan did not simply imitate Western cinema. Instead, these influences blended with local storytelling traditions, eventually helping shape a distinctive style of Japanese filmmaking. Modern Japanese cinema therefore reflects both international influence and its own cultural identity.
Radio has also been an important medium for diasporic communities. For many migrants living abroad, radio programs in their own language help maintain a sense of connection with their home culture and with other members of their community. In the United States, for example, immigrant communities often listen to radio stations designed specifically for them, which can create a sense of belonging even when they are living in unfamiliar or sometimes hostile environments .6 Listening to a familiar language on the radio can also create a feeling of intimacy among listeners who share that cultural background. In places where the language is spoken by only a minority, hearing it publicly broadcast can reinforce both identity and community ties. In this way, radio allows people to maintain cultural connections even when they are geographically far from their home countries.
To conclude, the movement of media across borders has brought different cultures into contact with one another in many ways. Music travelling between countries introduces new sounds and influences that can inspire entirely new genres. Film reflects historical relationships between nations and can evolve as cultural influences mix. Radio helps diasporic communities stay connected to their language and identity while living abroad. As migration and global communication continue to expand, these cultural exchanges will likely become even more common. The result is a media landscape where many forms of art and communication are shaped by influences from multiple cultures, creating traditions that are rooted not in a single place, but in shared global experiences.
1 Smallman, S., & Brown, K. (2020) – Introduction to International and Global Studies (3rd ed).
3 Vogue (2015) – Reggae by the Numbers: Google Searches Around the World
4 Richie, D. (2012) – A Hundred Years of Japanese Film. Kodansha International Ltd.
5 Geary, D. (2020) – Butts, Blood, and Bombs: The American Occupation’s Effect on Japanese Cinema
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