Social world

Social world is a broadly relational concept used in sociology, social psychology, as well as history, journalism and literature to indicate any particular system or network of social knowledge, awareness and relations. Thus, when someone refers to “my social world” they are ordinarily indicating an entire set of people, places and things that includes the people they know or have known in the past, their various social roles and the relationships, networks, organizations and institutions in which they participate, as well as the things they believe about the nature of the world in general (including the cosmology and makeup of the physical and natural world).

The phrase world view (or in German, weltanschauung) can also be used in the same way. One may speak of historical referents like [the Social World of the New Testament], the medieval social world, the post-industrial social world, or the Elizabethan world view.

The idea of a social world usually implies a particular reference point, whether that is a starting point for action in that world, a particular observation post or the view of some individual within that particular social world. Thus, one may speak of the social world of a president or ruler, as well as of peasants, villagers slum dwellers, as well as fashionista or celebrities. The 20th century U.S. humorous James Thurber entitled his most famous book (which was also the name of a television series) My World, and Welcome to It.