Can popular music ever really be 'unplugged'?

Technology plays a key role in our experience and enjoyment of music, and without it popular music in the 21^st century would not exist. This is a fair concept as many musical genres and techniques owe their presence to modern technology. Take for instance the electric guitar; it is almost impossible to place any other universal symbol for pop music above this one. The electric guitar teamed with amplification technology allowed pop music to be loud, raucous, push the boundaries of contemporary music and further perpetuate the traditional rebellious reputation connected with the genre. The advent of the microphone and its ability to hone in on specific sounds rather than flatly picking up everything, paved the way for more subtle, intimate styles of singing, from crooning with Bing Crosby to today’s ‘breathy’ Nu-Folk artists like Laura Marling. Completely ‘unplugging’ pop music would limit and constrain its wild and unpredictable growth.