Conceptualizing transnational hybrid media systems: a case study on diasporic pan-Arab media in the UK

Using qualitative content analysis and in-depth interviews, this study examines the hybrid media culture within which the pan-Arab diasporic media in the UK function as they exist physically in a liberal media system while operating virtually in a more restrictive one. The paper further investigates the hybrid patterns of interactions, spaces and politics/media logic to specify new connections between social actors within such a transnational system. It employs two conceptual frameworks: comparing media systems and the hybrid media system as starting points for developing a novel definition of the ‘Transnational Hybrid Media System’ and advancing a comprehensive discussion of its characteristics.