People's attitudes about advertising are hilarious and fascinating to me. Everyone thinks they're above it. "Pfft, I ain't lettin' the TV tell me what toothpaste to buy or who to vote for!"

Billions have been spent studying human purchasing behavior, and billions more are spent in advertising every year off the fruits of that research. Tech companies track what color buttons and font styles make you more likely to click on things. Retailers know that your caveman brain is 11% more likely to buy that $1.99 widget than the $2.00 one because it somehow perceives it as cheaper. Even novices like me can run split tests to determine which adjectives to put in headlines to make you click on videos.

But nah, none of that shit works. You're all perfectly rational robots with full access to your subconscious mind.