Can Popular Music ever really be Unplugged?

Paul Theberge states "without electronic technology, popular music in the 21st century is unthinkable". This point brings me to the idea of unplugged music being popular. This has lead me to think about the genre of folk music, folk music as a genre is generally popular in different cultures, for example Irish music is very popular and is infact unplugged in many areas. There are numerous folk songs that are universally popular which can be played all over the world unplugged, for example 'whiskey in the jar'. These types of songs have been around for many years and were played unplugged when first created around the country which adds to the argument that popular music can really be unplugged.

However, the rise of technology has changed the way in which we listen to music. Amplification is key to making music popular as it allows more people to listen to the music and judge whether they like it. Even if somone is playing their songs on an acoustic guitar, this is usually plugged into an amp and a microphone is present. For music to become popular, it has to reach the masses meaning technology is essential for music to become popular.