The term popular culture can be difficult to define because the category of cultural expressions that it describes is in constant flux, expanding and contracting over time. In a general sense, popular culture, which is alternately called pop culture or mass culture, is made up of the cultural expressions—in literature, the creative arts, television, the movie industry, and other venues—that are consumed, and frequently produced, by the general populace. Oftentimes popular culture is distinguished from high or elite culture, which describes the cultural expressions that appeal primarily to a smaller, highly educated demographic group. Historically, this distinction has ...