Considering the sheer scale and reach that the internet and social media have in our day-to-day lives, it has become nearly impossible to live without them. As scholar Winfried Schulz explains: “Due to their omnipresence, the mass media are increasingly pervading all communication processes in society, while, at the same time, the universal dependence upon mass media functions is growing” (93). The media we consume is now not only created by companies and media institutions but also by independent creators all over the world. We consume media in the form of TV shows, movies, video games or books, but we now also consume it in the form of personal statuses, tweets, videos, all of which are created by independent creators—those “influencers” who write and publish most of their lives for the public to consume. Yet, the ever-increasing stream of media that is presented to us is not necessarily of high quality; rather, it is often created with the express purpose of extracting value from the viewer, whether by selling a product to them or by collecting ad revenue. The viewer is not always aware of these intentions, as it is more beneficial to preserve the illusion of authenticity to form a relationship with the audience to sell a product more effectively. Critic Chris Rojek, for instance, argues that “sincerity with an audience needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. For it is built upon techniques of staging and persuasion that aim to build naturalism and presumed intimacy, but conceal more than they reveal” (85).  This essay will therefore explore how today’s media landscape creates an unhealthy dynamic between the creator and the consumer, which contributes to the following issues: content farming for ad revenue; parasocial relationships between content creators and their audiences; and the effects on predatory advertising practices on viewers.