@Danetteb When I was younger, I used to love listening to Coast To Coast AM, a late night talk show about fringe and paranormal subjects. I have basically always been a skeptic and very scientifically minded, but I enjoyed hearing people talk about fringe ideas from a folkloric perspective. And because of that detachment, I didn't see the danger.
Fringe media sells the "You can't trust institutions; trust me." angle. And it leads to people accepting that parasocial relationship everywhere.