Advertising, marketing, propaganda. It programs people’s brains. It is extremely powerful.
There are dozens of these mass brain-programming campaigns going on right now. It’s been happening for many years … maybe centuries.
“WHATZAAAAAAAAAP!!!”
In all likelihood some of your own interests and habits were put there by a marketing department. Not because it’s good or right or useful but because it profited… somebody who could afford to hire a marketing department.
I’m looking at you, Santa.
Looks at Pokemon
You can take pikachu from my cold dead hands
[off topic?]
“The Source Of The Nile” by Avram Davidson. Science fiction short story.
Ad man is always looking for the next big thing. One day he notices some kids wearing their sneakers cut up. A few days later he realizes that the fad has exploded. He patiently tracks down where the fad started. It turns out there’s one family that starts all the fads. It’s never explained why or how, just that somehow these people are the ones who decide what’s going to be popular for the rest of the world.
Or theatre students. They used to send them out to act weird in public to get over feeling self conscious.
People who love to drive longs distances. People who love mayonnaise. People who react strongly at the mention of drugs.