Pop matters. And it's more fun.
One of the reasons people don't like to learn about the rest of the world beyond their own is that most studies of globalization spend too much time on the boring parts.
I think you can learn more about a country, and faster, through its pop culture — entertainment, creativity, media, the arts, celebrity, values and more — than you can through economic, politics or sociology alone.
Try it with your own world for a second, and you’ll see what I mean. Who’s on TV? What movies define a generation? Who are the artistic legends, and more importantly, which of them have slept with each other? Who’s had a sensational trial for a minor offense? Which band won what award? What academic theory comes up at dinner parties? Which newspaper leans in which political direction, and is there juicy family history behind that? What was that creative movement called? What novels are people assigned in high school? What song was playing when people of a certain age lost their virginity? Who designed that building, or this dress? Where do they like to shop? What’s their unofficial national anthem? Who are their heroes, and why?
Once you know Pop, you know what motivates people, what makes them smile in recognition, and what they consider inspiring, not just important. Pop is richer and more vivid, a quicker study, and can be a useful indicator for what might happen in the future.