Nobody you have really befriended (in real life for a long stable period) can't be your friend. No emmotional expession in commercials or other people towards you is genuine. Its all so they get what they want from you. Money or attention. Of course the random stranger you meet can be an exception.
But i never understood how people can fall in love with brands, (most) artists etc. There is no mutual feeling.
Why would you think that? That seems like a very negative world view to me.
The seller is not exploiting the buyer, it's just a mutual deal where both parties benefit.
I create a product, and some of my users really love it. They are very happy that I created it in so far that they want to pay for it. They want me to make more features.
I, on my part, am very grateful that they love my product. That means they want to pay for it and I can make a living. I love my biggest fans or hard-core users the same way as they love me and my product. Is it a real personal relationship? Probably not.
You make it seem like all people that sell you something try to rip you off. Maybe they just want to create a great product, and create a win-win relationship. I'm sure plenty of artists love their fans and want to do great things for them.
