Popular culture

Culture belongs to the people. In the past, the culture of the elite set the standard. However, mass media such as television and new media such as the Internet have allowed the people's culture to develop into a mature popular culture. Increasingly larger groups of people are consuming culture on a large scale in the form of sports, music, computer games and television programmes. And they are also leaving their mark on this. At the same time media are not merely an intermediary of culture but are also creating new genres such as soaps and reality TV. These changes in both the consumption and production of popular culture have led to discussions about the quality of culture and about standards and values. How existing ideas about art and culture come under pressure and influence societies are questions that should be raised.