Contextual variety

When reading Pawley's article, Beyond Market Models and Resistance, I was especially drawn to the theory presented by Elizabeth Long referred to as "social infrastructure of reading" (80). This is explained as, "encouraging researchers to think of reading as constituting a cluster of social and cultural activities that take place among groups in a variety of contexts..." (Pawley 80). While I agree with the basic message behind this statement, I am curious to see how researchers would apply this to their work. Long's suggestion is rather broad and a somewhat difficult concept to integrate into a field study. When placed within the general context of print culture, how does one subdivide Long's idea for use in a study? What is the criteria for determining what constitutes "social and cultural activities" and what does she mean by, "a variety of contexts?" How far does this contextual variety spread and what would I as a researcher be able to include in my approach to testing Long's theory if I were to adhere to her guidelines?