Many people think that “brainwashing” goes against all moral principles, but millions of people are “brainwashed” every day simply because of their surroundings. In a city, it seems like you can't walk 10 feet without being bombarded with advertisements repeatedly urging the public to buy their products. Soon people believe they need these products; they can't seem to function without them. When you're in the company of friends, family, and complete strangers, you can be forced to jump on the bandwagon without even realizing it. At an even deeper level are the needs of the mind. If someone thinks about something long enough, they will start to believe it. If they tried to forget certain things that cause pain or depression, those memories could be hidden forever. In his novel, The Demon-Haunted World, Carl Sagan illustrates the manipulation of the mind through consumerism, social influences, and the desire to satisfy psychological needs. Commercialism is the practice of using advertising strategies to attract the interests of potential customers for the purpose of making a profit and relies heavily on consumerism. Millions of people around the world are exposed every day to advertisements created to increase public desire for different companies' products, and many of these people are naive children. Children's desires are often exploited by big companies because younger people are only seen as corruptible minds. One study shows that children ages four through adolescence spend more than $130 billion combined each year (“Youth-Oriented Advertising”). The whole notion of consumerism since its inception has always been persuasive and manipulative. After World War II, Americans were com...... center of card ......, Tricia. “What are social influences?” Wise geek. Conjecture, March 27, 2014. Web. May 5, 2014. “The Rise of American Consumerism.” PBS. WGBH Educational Foundation, nd Web. May 24, 2014. .Sagan, Carl. The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Darkness. New York: Ballantine, 1997. Print. “Study examines 'controlled' forgetting.” Science online. Archived Facts, July 5, 2011. Web. May 5, 2014. "Youth-Oriented Advertising." Issues and controversies on file: n. page Problems and controversies. Facts On File News Services, August 23, 2004. Web. May 24 2014.