Popular Culture: You Make the Meaning

The definitions of pop culture proposed by professor John Storey seem to change depending on the context. Since the 21st century, mass media has changed so much that it is difficult to establish how they function.

• In 2000, "mass media" meant only print (newspapers), broadcast (television and radio) and cinema.
• Today it accepts a variety of social media forms.
• Popular culture today is mostly something established by niche users.
• Social media means consumers are in direct contact with producers and are producers themselves.

In a way, popular culture is again expressing the simplest meaning: it is what many people like.

The term "popular culture" - coined in the mid-19th century - refers to the traditional and material culture of a particular society.

In the modern West, pop culture refers to cultural products consumed by most of the society's population such as music, ar...