"Most people" don't have good ideas about how to actually do categories. They just like or dislike various music.

Presenters and archivers and sellers need to make the attempt to describe the 'boundries' so that those who DO prefer certain types (like me) can more easily find them.
I usually prefer more traditional types and versions of songs and tunes... with a lot of specific exceptions... and hate to pay for a concert or CD only to discover that "folk/trad" has been expanded beyond anything I can tolerate.

My concerns are NOT to rate music as good or bad, and I am quite aware that the 'folk process' often creates well-done music that is just not to my taste. I just look for venues where the producer has made the effort to describe the program accurately enough to make choices easier.

The actual word 'folk' has become so diluted that by itself, it does little to predict what one will hear.