How Does Social Context Change What A Text Means?
Definition
Social Context
The social conditions surrounding a text and its users, including cultural norms, relationships, institutions, power structures, and expectations that shape how language is produced and interpreted.
- Texts (a novel, play, speech, film, advertisement, conversation, post) is never produced in a vacuum.
- It comes from people living inside a particular society, with particular rules about what is acceptable, persuasive, funny, polite, romantic, respectful, or shameful.
- Those rules, and the systems that enforce them, form the text's social context.
Note
- Social context matters in two directions:
- It shapes the choices the creator makes (what can be said openly, what must be implied, what is risky, who is expected to speak).
- It shapes the way audiences interpret those choices (what seems normal or shocking, what seems "romantic" or controlling, what seems responsible or irresponsible).
What Are The Key Components Of Social Context To Look Out For?
When analyzing a text, you can "map" social context by identifying a few recurring components.
Social norms and relationship expectations
- Norms are shared rules, often unstated, about how people should behave.
- Norms can include expectations about:
- Dating and romance (who initiates, what counts as commitment, what is private versus public)
- Gender roles (who has authority, who is expected to be modest, who is believed)
- Reputation and honour (what "ruins" someone's status, whose status matters more)
Example
- In Stranger Things, the relationship between Eleven and Dr. Brenner illustrates how power is context-driven rather than just physical strength:
- Institutional Authority: Brenner uses his status as a doctor and government director to control Eleven's physical environment.
- Emotional Leverage: By using the label "Papa," he frames her compliance as daughterly loyalty rather than forced labor.
- Restricted Agency: Eleven’s "consent" to experiments is not free choice because she is isolated from the outside world and has no alternative for survival.
Power, institutions, and authority
- Institutions (family, law, religion, school, government, media) influence how language is used and what consequences language can have.
- They also shape power: who gets to decide, who must obey, and whose voice counts.
Hint
- Recall that power in texts is often visible through:
- Who speaks most, interrupts, or decides
- Who is described as "respectable" or "shameful"
- Who is believed, defended, or punished
Audience, purpose, and social "rules" of communication
- Language choices change depending on audience (who is being addressed) and purpose (to entertain, persuade, warn, impress, sell).
- Social context tells us what "counts" as persuasive or polite..
Exam technique
- When you write about social context, try using the sentence frame:
- "In this context, [__________] is expected, so when the speaker/character [__________] , it suggests [__________] and risks [__________]."
- This forces you to connect society to language and consequence.
What Does Social Context Have To Do With Perspective?
- Social context influences perspective because it shapes what:
- Someone has been taught is "normal"
- They fear will happen if they break rules
- They think responsibility looks like
- Texts also influence perspective.
- A novel, film, or speech can encourage audiences to reconsider assumptions, especially about people seen as "different."
But How Does Social Context Shape Ideas Of Personal Responsibility?
- What counts as personal responsibility is not fixed.
- In other words, society teaches us what we "should" feel responsible for, and how we should demonstrate that responsibility.
- When a character makes a controversial decision, ask:
- What does their society teach them to prioritize (self, family, honour, community)?
- What are the "responsible" actions in that society, and who defines them?
- Who benefits from that definition of responsibility?
Example
- If a character hides the truth to protect a family's reputation, a modern reader may see dishonesty.
- In a context where reputation determines safety, marriage prospects, or social survival, that same act may be framed as duty.
- Your analysis should show both: the moral dilemma, and the contextual pressure.
Self review
- How does social context affect both the creator of a text and its audience differently?
- What is the definition of "social norms" within a text's context?
- Which three institutional forces are mentioned as being able to influence how language is used and its consequences?
- Why might a character's "yes" or "consent" not be considered a free choice in certain social contexts?
- When a character makes a controversial decision, what three things should you ask about their society to understand their sense of responsibility?
