What exactly is understood by the term "popular"?

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The image that comes to mind is that of a well-known person who is liked and accepted by his peers. Is that what popularity is all about?

I think that this term (in the vernacular sense) means someone who people view as having high social status within a peer group. This person/people are, for this reason, viewed as being central to the group, and others within the group try to associate with them and/or win their favor to gain social status for themselves.

Yep, and being "popular" in high school doesn't exactly lead to anything later in life for the most part. So who cares if one is "popular" or not?

Because of peer pressure it has great meaning when one is in high school. We are "wired" with a desire to be liked by others. Yes, in the long term perspective it is better to take a "who cares" attitude about such things. But it is difficult to get one's mind out of the culture in which one exists.

Popular. Popular in school is an adjective used to describe students who are jocks or cheerleaders or preppies. You can be in any clique and be popular in that clique, even if it's a clique full of misfits and imbecils, which was my high school clique. Was I popular in my clique? No. I had strange friends in other cliques tho. By strange I mean people you wouldn't think would ever be my friend. What a bizarre experience.
I mean, I was considered by my peers to be a grade "a" moron but at the same time I was helping others do their poetry terms worksheets just to keep the peace and win a few false friends. It was so ironic. All of it was ironic.

popular:

Widely liked or appreciated: a popular resort.
Liked by acquaintances; sought after for company: “Beware of over-great pleasure in being popular or even beloved” (Margaret Fuller).
Of, representing, or carried on by the people at large: the popular vote.
Fit for, adapted to, or reflecting the taste of the people at large: popular entertainment; popular science.
Accepted by or prevalent among the people in general: a popular misunderstanding of the issue.
Suited to or within the means of ordinary people: popular prices.
Originating among the people: popular legend.

[Middle English populer, commonly known, from Old French populeir, of the people, from Latin populāris, from populus, the people, of Etruscan origin.]

popularly pop'u·lar·ly adv.

Don't know about that.

To my mind, being popular is being someone people want to spend time with.
People don't hang with friends because they think other people respect them.

Being popular turns on the ability to make people feel good (valued, respected, amused).

Aaaargh! Off topic, sinsboldly's avatar beastie thing is exactly like the creatures which emerged from a box of couscous when I was cleaning out a kitchen cupboard last night!

As for being popular - it just means that a lot of people like you. Can be for a variety of different reasons.

I think it just means being well known.

The rest would be culturally added and such things are usually beyond me. Language is complicated with all those cultural meanings attached to words.

Ah... well, now I know that people understand 'popular' as something that can only be good.