I remember a video bit on Cracked about how marketers are perpetually losing the advertising war (since the 1950s, they spend more on advertising for a decreasing effect on consumers. One hypothesis was that as they are drawing adults in with more common, more intense advertising, they’re also indoctrinating the younger generations, who grow up used to everything trying to get their attention for ulterior reasons.

A recent video by Wisecrack also posited this position where in 2023, all media is lousy with product placement and messaging specific to marketing to sponsors, and the viewing audience is learning to be less credulous and more skeptical with every passing year. This might inform how religious ministries are bleeding members, losing attendance and tithes even as they try to hit us with smooth He Gets Us spots on the Superbowl.

We humans are credulous and manipulable, but we also get abused and hurt when they realize their Trump gold is useless, or their rare Funko Pop figurine loses value the instant you open the box, or your religious ministry doesn’t really care about you once you’re no longer able to afford collections. And once bitten, we learn to be twice shy.