Hey Steph,

That's a very interesting question. I'd say it depends on how long you had been shielded from knowing what's popular.

For instance, I don't even know what music is popular right now. So I don't think current popularity is shaping my music tastes too much. But I am quite sure that what was popular when I was a teenager has had a strong impact on my current music tastes. So I'd assume that if I had been shielded from knowing what's popular from before I was a teenager, I'd have very different music tastes.

Anyway, thanks for reading! :-)