Popular Culture, Geography and

The term popular culture is often used colloquially and by commentators in ways that are complex and contradictory. Common to all definitions, though, is the idea that popular culture is associated with mass consumption. Popular culture can thus be seen to include everything from magazines, movies, and television to Internet phenomena such as Facebook and MySpace. Popular culture generally refers to the field of material culture and practice that is associated with everyday people, usually in opposition to “high” culture, which refers to the material culture and practice associated with socioeconomic elites. Alternatively, popular culture can refer to a globalizing [Page 2227]Western culture that is seen in opposition to local folk cultures. In either case, popular culture is usually framed in negative terms, although this ...