Can Social Media and Advertisers Play Nice?

I've been thinking a lot lately about the fact that as soon as something great gets popular, it gets ruined. Bands that you found before they were on the radio, clothing you wore before it was a huge trend, and now, blogs you used to read every day that are now overrun with advertising.
My latest gripe is with Mashable. It used to be my go-to blog. I told everyone I met about Mashable. It's writer's were interesting and let loose their issues with Twitter and anything else. The writer's are still great but I have noticed a distinct change in the flavor of Mashable lately and I do believe it has to do with the explosion in size, and yes, advertising.
How will we add sponsored content without ruining the integrity of the blog/site? I think it has to do with the gatekeepers of those sites/blogs staying firm in their original motivations to start blogging in the first place. It also means that advertisers have to add sponsored content that FITS with the flow of the site.
Then again, there are always going to be new bands and blogs that we can turn to when we need "something new and unspoiled". I can't say I have the final answer on this one yet but it does seem that the two will need to learn to work with each other in a more productive way.

~ Caitlin