Unveiling Global Patterns of Cultural Influence in the Digital Age

Culture serves as a vital medium through which societies communicate and share values, practices, and beliefs. Traditionally, cultural diffusion was largely localized, occurring within geographically proximate regions. However, the advent of the internet has dramatically reshaped these dynamics, enabling culture to transcend borders and propagate globally. Despite this transformation, the mechanisms driving contemporary cultural diffusion remain an unresolved issue. This study employs Wikipedia data to explore the global diffusion of key contemporary cultural content, art, book, comic, film, game, music and TV program, focusing on the characteristics that influence the spread of these contents and the influence networks among linguistic regions. Our analysis reveals that geographic proximity has diminished in importance in the digital age, while economic and language similarities play crucial roles in shaping cultural diffusion. Furthermore, our exploration of the linguistic influence network shows that the English-speaking world continues to dominate the diffusion of most content categories. However, specific genres, such as art and film, are heavily influenced by French and Italian-speaking regions, while Japanese and Korean-speaking regions are pivotal in the dissemination of comics and TV programs. These findings provide significant insights into the complex dynamics of modern cultural diffusion, offering a deeper understanding of how culture spreads in the internet age.