Cultural Forces 2025: Context Is Everything

What You’ll Learn

The Rise of Context-Seeking Behavior

For decades, technological progress has streamlined decision-making, offering frictionless, curated experiences that reduce complexity. But as the world becomes more algorithmically optimized, people are realizing that stripped-down, decontextualized information isn’t enough. Whether in politics, medicine, or personal choices, context is now essential to making informed decisions.

This shift is not about rejecting technology but about demanding more from it. People want broader, richer, and more multidimensional input that delivers a personalized experience. They no longer trust a simple answer—they want to know why something is recommended, how it fits into a bigger picture, and what tradeoffs are involved.

As technology mediates, automates, and personalizes experiences, people are grappling with control, trust, and autonomy in decision-making. These three forces reveal the tension between efficiency and depth, convenience, and agency:

Though distinct, they are deeply interlinked—as people accept digital mediation (Mediated Existence) and rely on AI to decide for them (Generation Algorithm), they increasingly demand transparency and control (Context Is Everything) to ensure those choices reflect their reality.

Signals of Contextual Importance

Misinformation and the Context Crisis: Misinformation has made people hyper-aware of context gaps. Fact-checking tools and media literacy campaigns in 2024 were pushing for “full context” in news and scientific reporting. The emphasis though is now on the individual as many organizations sunset their fact-checking functions. 

The Cognitive Load of Context-Seeking: People are increasingly overwhelmed by the amount of information they must process to make informed choices, leading to demand for tools that summarize complexity without distorting it.

Context in Consumer Behavior and Marketing: Brands that fail to acknowledge context feel “inauthentic” to modern consumers. People now expect tailored messaging that aligns with their personal circumstances, cultural background, and current emotional state.

What This Means for Healthcare in 2025

For patients: Patients increasingly expect personalized treatment plans that consider not just clinical factors but their whole life context. They are less willing to follow medical advice. Instead, they want to know why a treatment is recommended, how it compares to alternatives, and what factors were considered in the decision.

For HCPs: Doctors must now act as “context translators.” Instead of simply diagnosing and prescribing, they must help patients navigate medical choices in the context of their personal circumstances. HCPs are spending more time debunking decontextualized health information and providing their own contextual information as patients come in armed with research from AI-generated summaries, social media, and wellness influencers.

For pharma and marketers: Patients and HCPs need to understand how a treatment fits the bigger picture, not just what it does. Transparency is the new trust currency. Brands must be upfront about the limitations, tradeoffs, and situational nuances of treatments. There is also an opportunity to meet patients where they are with more personalized experiences that reflect the context of their own journey.

The Future of Context

In 2025, context will no longer be optional—it will be expected. Patients, consumers, and professionals will demand depth, transparency, and justification for every recommendation they receive. AI will no longer just suggest options, it must explain why, show tradeoffs, and offer alternatives.

Klick Health has consistently demonstrated a commitment to creating campaigns that resonate deeply with diverse audiences by acknowledging and integrating cultural contexts. A notable example is their award-winning animated short film, 47, produced for Café Joyeux. This film tells the inspiring story of a 47-year-old with Down syndrome who, after numerous rejections, secures his first job at Café Joyeux. This café employs and trains people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. By highlighting the personal journey of overcoming societal barriers, the campaign fosters empathy and challenges preconceived notions about individuals with disabilities. This approach not only aligns with the cultural force emphasizing the importance of context in consumer behavior but also showcases how authentic, context-rich storytelling can enhance brand authenticity and consumer engagement.

The fundamental shift isn’t just about having more information, it’s about having the right information in the right context to make better decisions. In a world increasingly shaped by personalization and misinformation, context isn’t just important—it’s everything.