POPULAR CULTURES AND THEIR LINKS: THE EVOLUTION OF MEANS OF EXCHANGE IN THE CROSS RIVER REGION

The term popular culture has different meanings depending on who defines it and the context in which it is used. It involves the dynamic aspects of our lives, which are often subjected to rapid change, especially in this era of technological advancements. Thus, interrogating money within the context of popular culture is necessary, given its practical significance in people's everyday lives. Relying mainly on secondary sources, the paper uses the Cross River area to show how currency has evolved over time and across space. As the ‘culture of the people,’ popular culture is determined by the interactions between people in their everyday activities the exchange of goods and services. The affordability of all of these can only be possible with a mutually acceptable medium of exchange. Money is an aspect of the people’s culture that allows a heterogeneous population to evolve not only as a medium of exchange but also as a collective identity. The paper concludes that, although it is difficult to imagine a world without popular culture, it is equally challenging to imagine a world without money, since money is the means of attaining and sustaining popular culture.