Popular?

I've come to think that I am not a very active part of popular culture. I watch practically no TV. The music I listen to is by no means popular. For better or worse, people often accuse me of being in "my own little world." I would feel like when studying popular culture I would not be studying the most essential parts of my own life. I learn about popular culture mainly through secondary sources (my friends) who tend to tell me what is "hot or not." And some are quick to point out if the clothes I'm wearing or the music I'm listening to in the car is just not "in." There is one question posed by the "working question" that made me curious. If something becomes popular does its value become diminished? It happens that in my search new music that I hope to like, that I'll come across a current hit song, but I won't always know if it's a hit, or who the artist is at first. I treat my new discovery as something without any "pop culture" strings attached. So in my life, discovering a song, movie, idea, that has come popular before my discovery doesn't diminish my liking for it at all, because it holds no strings attached. I am hopefully finding the meaning that the artist/artists intended behind their project because I choose to keep some distance between myself and the TV. I don't not watch TV because I have anything against watching TV. I'm just not so entertained by watching most shows, including the nightly news. However, I'm would guess that Viacom, GE, News Corp. and Disney and their affiliations with other world corporations are intentionally projecting ideas and opinions that best represent their desire to succeed as organizations, and keep viewers of all types coming back, using a myriad of tactics. I tend to get any current event updates online. I like this because I can focus on the news that interests me the most and dig deeper into a story if I find it compelling. I also search for music and movies online. I like thinking that there is not a more focused control of the information that is available on the internet. I would hope that some internet sources of history, news, and art, would actually be more "authentic" sources.