Communication can take place in literally hundreds of different contexts. Therefore it is important to view communication from a contextual point of view. Context keeps on changing. It affects ideas, technology etc. Media products at one level are products of complex organization, and at still another level they reflect the economic arrangements of media industries and other institutions. The work of individual communicator cannot be understood outside these organizational, industrial and institutional contexts.

In today’s world, the very word communication brings to the mind technical and electronic means of communication, such as the telephone, television, computer etc. These are the means of communication through which the entire systems in the world are functioning, be it trade, business, education and even keeping in touch with friends and the family members. Articulation is dependent on the medium involved, or it can be said communication is dependent on a channel to transmit a message. Therefore technology largely determines communication.

Social relations comprise of the relationship and role of the players in the communication process. Communication can be said to be a process of information handling, including activities of production, dissemination, reception and storage- all within a social system. Social relations deals with how the changes in the relationship between the players come
to bring about an effect in the information process.

Representation is the projection of content. It is the image, idea or message that is conveyed through the communication. The way a fact is projected is representation. Media by means of representation can give meaning in a particular manner. Media representation is one of the means of achieving hegemony, which is achieving popular consent.

Each one of these factors affects the other, and in turn the entire communication process. Thus communication can be described as, ‘The articulation of social relations between individuals in a society.’