THE IMPACT OF THE CULTURAL CONTEXT ON THE INTERPRETATION OF THE MEDIA MESSAGE. Foundational study

Abstract: The cultural context appears as a general theoretical framework upon which the interpretation and understanding of the media message are based. Through this context, the diversity of the conceptual and value structure it contains becomes evident. This context seems to be a dynamic process that surrounds the media message, which is considered a fundamental theory in media and communication studies. Through this media message, contextual and situational considerations emerge, linking meanings and words to their contexts, with the aim of interpreting the message when it reaches the recipient's mind. This study aims to analyze and explain the impact of cultural and social contexts on the interpretation of the media message, regardless of whether it is visual, auditory, or written, and how these messages and discourses are re-produced based on the context in which they exist. In this study, we relied on the descriptive approach, which describes this phenomenon semantically and meaningfully, as well as the analytical approach, which analyzes the depth of social and cultural phenomena, including communication and media phenomena. Additionally, we utilized the theory of interpretation, which is related to meanings and the recipient's interpretations of various messages and discourses. This theory can provide a functional link between the cultural context and the media message. The study concludes with the importance of cultural and social context in the meaning and direction of the media message, as well as the impact of references and allusions in interpreting the underlying meaning of the message, and the re-production of the message by the recipient. Keywords: cultural context, interpretation, media message, impact, meaning.