Help for pop music anthropology research

Hey, my name is LJ and I'm going to school for anthropology. I'm doing a research paper for one of my classes and my questions are these: Do you think the talent level of pop musicians in the 2000s and the substance of their songs has gone down hill? With the introduction of the auto tuner and the growing acceptance of lip-synching during concerts, are there any talented musicians any more? With so many things to protest and have an opinion on, why are there only "bubble gum" songs being produced? Is the only thing we can say about pop music "oh it has a good beat?"
And I'm asking generally here, because I know there are exceptions to everything.