Popular culture can be defined as a subculture that is shared by everyone or the mass of

the society. Similar to high culture, popular culture also has its consumption patterns,
lifestyle, literature, beliefs and attitudes, and leisure activities. However, these are not
sophisticated as in the high culture making them more appealing to the masses. Fast food
chains and pop music are some examples of popular culture. Originally, the term popular
culture was linked to the lower classes, although now popular culture includes the mass
society.

Characteristics of High Culture and Popular Culture:

Access:

High Culture: The upper class has access to high culture.

Popular Culture: The majority of the people has access to popular culture.

Spread:

High Culture: High culture is now decreasing with the spread of popular culture.

Popular Culture: Popular culture is embraced by the mass society; hence its popularity is
ever increasing.

Examples:

High Culture: Opera, expensive restaurants, classical music, and renaissance art are
some examples.

Popular Culture: Fast food chains, reality shows, new genres of music and fashion are
examples of popular culture.
When speaking of cultural subsets, high culture and popular culture can be considered as
two subsets between which a key difference can be identified. In every society, there is a
specific culture which is composed of human values, attitudes, beliefs, norms, mores,
histories, social taboos, etc. This culture can be categorized as high and popular culture.
High culture can be defined as a subculture that is shared by the upper class of the society.
On the other hand, popular culture can be defined as a subculture that is shared by
everyone or the mass of the society. In this sense, the key difference between the two
cultures stem from who has access to them; while the upper class has access to the
high culture, the majority of the people has access to popular culture.

High Culture is the subset of experiences that defines those in the highest class of society. People
associated with high culture are part of an elite class who often have political power; they are the
ones who attend the ballet or opera on the weekends. Furthermore, high culture is connected to
higher education and affluence, often including consistent involvement in the arts and literature.
Basically, this type of culture depends on money and how it is spent, making membership to high
society quite restrictive.