Types of context
- Social and cultural contexts: the values, attitudes and ways of life of the time, such as changing attitudes to gender roles.
- Political context: power, government and politics, such as a newspaper's political viewpoint.
- Historical context: when the product was made, and what was happening then.
- Economic context: money and funding, such as the need to attract advertisers.
Why context matters
- Products reflect the time and society they were made in, so older products may show different values from today's.
- Context helps explain representations: a 1950s advert showing women only as housewives reflects the attitudes of that era.
- Newspapers' coverage of events is shaped by their political viewpoints and their readers.
Using context in answers
- Link specific features of a product to its context.
- Compare products from different times to show how contexts change media.
Key terms
- Context
- The background that influences how a media product is made and understood.
- Social context
- The values and ways of life of the time.
- Political context
- The influence of power and politics.
- Historical context
- When the product was made and what was happening.
- Economic context
- The influence of money and funding.
- Political viewpoint
- The political position a newspaper takes.
Practise Social, cultural, political and historical contexts: 10 questions