We live in a society where popularity is associated with quality. Many things indeed become popular because they are good. However, the two are mutually exclusive.

Social media is popular. So are sugar, sensationalist news and celebrity culture. But despite their popularity, few would agree that they are good.

Popular musicians, in nearly every case, produced considerably better art before they ever became famous. Movie franchises are another example. While there are exceptions, few sequels improve on the original — yet they often grow in popularity.

Popularity is more a sign of exposure than quality. Once a tipping point is reached, the number of people who see, hear or experience something is exponential. When once there were hundreds of people praising the thing, suddenly there are hundreds of thousands.

The thing we don’t realize is that as more people like something, just as many — often many more — don’t. And while fans make all the noise, the silent majority often can’t care less.

Of course, popular things can also be of high value and quality — but popularity and quality are not the same thing.