Has any communication system managed to do that? Once certain types of people catch the scent of profit, they tear the medium apart searching for every penny of it.

Letters became junk mail. Email became spam. Newspapers and magazines became mostly ads and shilled content. Television became for-profit news and reality content.

That authenticity is just going to make it more appealing to astro-turf.

ah i guess that's in the process of changing. you can see this happening right now. more right-wing memes, more "look at this cool movie/toy/outfit... i found. it's really me, a normal human being just like you!"