1. A method comprising the steps of: receiving a request over a network from a requesting device for media related to a context, wherein the request comprises context criteria, the context criteria comprising social, spatial, temporal and topical criteria; formulating a query based on the context criteria so as to search, via the network, a plurality of data sources accessible to the network for user profile data, social network data, spatial data, temporal data and topical data that is available via the network and relates to the context and to media files so as to identify a plurality of media files that are relevant to the context criteria, such that the query is formulated so as to search, via the network, for the user profile data, social network data, spatial data, temporal data and topical data using a global index of data available to the network, the global index comprising a global graph that relates entities known to the network with one another, and such that the user profile data comprise data that match a plurality of users, and the preferences of the plurality of users are used as part of the query; assembling, via the network, a playlist comprising references to each media file of the plurality of media files; and transmitting the plurality of media files on the playlist over the network to the requesting device.
1. A method comprising the steps of: receiving a request over a network from a requesting device for media related to a context, wherein the request comprises context criteria, the context criteria comprising social, spatial, temporal and topical criteria; formulating a query based on the context criteria so as to search, via the network, a plurality of data sources accessible to the network for user profile data, social network data, spatial data, temporal data and topical data that is available via the network and relates to the context and to media files so as to identify a plurality of media files that are relevant to the context criteria, such that the query is formulated so as to search, via the network, for the user profile data, social network data, spatial data, temporal data and topical data using a global index of data available to the network, the global index comprising a global graph that relates entities known to the network with one another, and such that the user profile data comprise data that match a plurality of users, and the preferences of the plurality of users are used as part of the query; assembling, via the network, a playlist comprising references to each media file of the plurality of media files; and transmitting the plurality of media files on the playlist over the network to the requesting device. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the social criteria comprise criteria that match the plurality of users, the plurality of users comprising users within a social network.