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In 1900 if someone living in the UK wanted to communicate with relatives living elsewhere in the world they would write a letter which would be carried by sea and rail to its destination. It would take weeks to receive a reply. Even in the 1970s airmail would take several days and overseas telephone contact would be unreliable and very expensive. By 2016 smartphones were facilitating video calls to loved ones on the other side of the world. This improved connectivity also meant people were more aware of what was happening across the world, in some cases within moments of it occurring. People in richer countries learned more about conditions in poorer regions, while people living in those places could see the apparent luxury of life in the West.

The technological revolutions of the late 20th century that brought first air travel and later the internet have changed the way in which people migrate and the kind of contact they can have with relatives left behind.