I think in order to come close to answering the initial question, someone has to answer the question of:

Who are the 'WE' in the question? Is it the fly fishermen(women)? The guides? The magazine/book publishers? The authors of books/magazine articles? The equipment/supply manufacturers? The fly fishing schools? The destination fly shops? The big box stores? The catalogs? The internet sites? Did I leave any potential influences out?

Personally, I try to keep it simple.

Allan