Taylor Swift’s newest video, “Wildest Dreams,” has been available to stream for just over a week now, and with 1989’s one year anniversary coming up, the 25 year-old singer-songwriter has much to celebrate. 1989 sold almost 1.3 million copies its first week, a success that has not happened since 2002’s The Eminem Show by Eminem. Worldwide sales now topping 8.6 million. Critically acclaimed and commercially thriving, 1989 is Taylor’s “first documented official pop album,” and with the departure from her country roots came outrage and frustration from certain dedicated fans.

This phenomenon of criticizing artists who change their style has always been around. Mozart’s monumental Don Giovanni received its share of critique on premiere due to its complexity alone. That being said, popular music is not often known for its complexity, and this might be part of the problem. Many see pop as music for the basic mind, or the mundane replication of psychologically pleasing chord progressions. They have a point. Popular music seeks to appeal to the broadest audience possible, and with the technological revolution came the simplifying power of computers, designed and utilized for getting the most work out for sale in cost-effective methods unparalleled until that point. By human nature, quantity tends to supersede quality.

Perhaps pop is popular for the same reason. It requires more appreciation and cognitive thinking to listen to an old Bob Dylan guitar ballad than Carly Rae Jepsen or Nicki Minaj, so we choose the song easiest to like with the least amount of effort. There’s nothing inherently wrong with this; pop songs are engineered to be catchy and enticing. That being said, perhaps a more optimistic reason lies in our cultural identity. We may listen to music for our own well-being and enjoyment, but we also listen to connect with others, and with that connection comes the sharing of ideas. Ideas are how we evolve and communicate as a species, and pop is one of the most psychologically effective ways of spreading them.

Many bestselling songs have had a significant influence in modern culture, if not on the political level then certainly the personal one. Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Bass” sparked conversation on the appeal and self-acceptance of overweight individuals, a social group notorious for scrutiny under the public eye. Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” promoted a message of ignoring naysayers and dancing to your own unique style. Eminem’s “Love The Way You Lie” articulated the complex and destructive issues of domestic violence, while Passenger’s “Let Her Go” articulated love’s illusive presence during relationships, only revealing itself after the breakup.

In the end, pop music’s main focus is getting as many to listen as possible, and at least in that sense it can be commended for its efforts. Listening and sharing through music is how we think critically and converse up to the international level. So keep listening and sharing those ideas. Maybe with our musically inspired conversations we can make the best ones “popular.”