In today’s globalized digital era, media function as symbolic environments through which culture and society are more intertwined than ever. The creative and cultural industries operate within media-saturated, globally networked environments that transcend geographic boundaries. Digital platforms and communication systems not only facilitate the production and circulation of cultural content worldwide, but also shape how that content is experienced and how communities create meaning and identity around it. Audiences have become active participants in this ecosystem, engaging with media through social networks, sharing and remixing content, and even co-creating cultural narratives as part of collective meaning-making. This profound global intersection of media, culture, and society raises critical questions about how our evolving media environment is influencing meaning-making, cultural identities, creative labor, social values, and economic opportunities across diverse communities. This Research Topic is anchored in a North American perspective, with particular attention to insights from Mexico and the United States, while remaining attuned to global developments.

The theoretical frameworks of media ecology and general semantics provide valuable lenses for examining these developments. Media ecology conceptualizes media as dynamic symbolic environments that shape human communication and cultural evolution, while general semantics focuses on how language and symbols influence our perceptions, meanings, and behaviors. Together, these perspectives illuminate how digital media environments shape symbolic behavior (our use of symbols and media in social life) and semantic practices (how we create and interpret meaning through language and representation), with cascading effects on social dynamics in an era of rapid digitization and globalization.

At the same time, the forces of globalization and digitization have intensified the interplay between global and local cultures. The worldwide reach of major media platforms and cultural conglomerates has brought unprecedented exposure to diverse content, but it also raises concerns about cultural homogenization and the marginalization of local voices. In North America, for instance, the dominance of English-language media from the United States can sometimes overshadow local and indigenous expressions in Mexico, illustrating the broader challenge of balancing global influence with cultural diversity. Power imbalances in media ownership and representation can lead to the underrepresentation of minority and indigenous cultures, highlighting the need for inclusive approaches that foreground diversity and equity.

Conversely, digital media tools have empowered communities and creators at the grassroots level, enabling marginalized groups to tell their own stories, preserve cultural heritage, and build networks across geographic and social boundaries. Understanding these dynamics requires critical perspectives that recognize intersecting issues of power, identity, and access in our contemporary cultural landscape, whether in North America or elsewhere.

Meanwhile, continuous innovation in media and technology is reshaping the creative sector. From artificial intelligence and algorithmic personalization to virtual and augmented reality, emerging technologies are transforming how cultural products are created, distributed, and experienced, and altering the very nature of creative labor. These advancements open new possibilities for artistic expression, audience engagement, and business models, but they also pose challenges related to ethics, governance, and sustainability. Key questions include how innovation can be harnessed to support creative communities and the public interest—for instance, ensuring that automation and data-driven processes respect artistic integrity, cultural diversity, and user privacy. The rapid pace of change underscores the need for ongoing research to steer media innovation toward positive social impact.

Against this backdrop, this Research Topic examines the interplay of media, culture, and society in the contemporary creative ecosystem, with particular attention to media as symbolic environments that shape meaning-making, cultural identities, and creative labor. While the scope is global, the collection foregrounds North American perspectives (drawing especially on insights from Mexico and the United States) as a regional anchor for broader comparison. It invites interdisciplinary analyses of multiple dimensions of this evolving media ecosystem, including but not limited to:

• the role of media as symbolic environments in shaping cultural identities, social narratives, and collective meaning-making processes (e.g., how memes, hashtags, and online narratives influence social understanding)
• the transformation of creative labor, cultural production, and circulation through digital media networks
• the evolution of audience engagement and participatory media experiences in the digital age
• global and local dynamics in cultural production and the geography of creative industries (including issues of glocalization, creative hubs, and digital divides)
• the impact of emerging technologies (such as artificial intelligence, data algorithms, and virtual/augmented reality) on creative practices, cultural experiences, and the nature of creative labor
• emerging business models and organizational innovations in media and creative industries (e.g., platform cooperatives, crowdfunding, community-driven enterprises)
• political, ideological, and policy frameworks shaping media and cultural industries
• sustainable and inclusive practices in media and creative industries, including efforts to promote cultural diversity, equity, and environmental responsibility in production and consumption.

We welcome contributions from a wide range of disciplines—including media and communication studies, cultural studies, sociology, anthropology, geography, economics, and related fields—and from both academic researchers and industry practitioners worldwide. We particularly encourage submissions that offer insights into North American contexts (especially those focusing on Mexico and the United States) as a way to ground the global analysis, though studies with other regional foci are equally welcome. We also invite diverse theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches—whether qualitative, quantitative, comparative, case study-based, or mixed methods—to address these complex issues. Through this interdisciplinary dialogue, this Research Topic seeks to foster a holistic understanding of media, culture, and society in the digital age, advancing scholarly knowledge while informing real-world practice and policy.

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Media, Culture, and Society in the Global Creative Ecosystem: Perspectives from North America and Beyond