The cultural trend driven by short videos: Cross-cultural narratives and global audience participation

This study explores how short-video platforms reshape global cultural dissemination through cross-cultural narrative mechanisms. Analyzing over 5 million video metadata entries from Kaggle, We Are Social, and Harvard Dataverse (2020–2024), this mixed-methods research employs thematic modeling, time-series analysis, and comparative analysis. The study proposes “algorithm-mediated cross-cultural narratives”—a framework where cultural content transcends linguistic and geographical boundaries through platform algorithms while preserving cultural distinctiveness. Findings reveal three interacting dimensions: algorithmic recommendation mechanisms, visual translation strategies, and meme propagation patterns that form short-video platforms’ unique cultural dissemination system. Global audiences function as cultural production agents through hierarchical participation and cross-cultural co-creation. Mainstream platforms establish a “global framework-local expression” model through differentiated strategies. The research demonstrates that short-video era cultural transmission exhibits fluidity, participation, and hybridity, providing theoretical insights for digital age cultural transformation and empirical evidence for policy and industry development.