Might be a difference of opinion, but what do you propose as an alternative to funding free things like news sites, videos on the internet, and even cable television channels.
I'm not saying that ads are particularly ethical, but I struggle to think of a replacement that isn't more paywalls. This is an easy decision to make for people that have the money, but is much harder for the majority of Americans. A Vox article [1] estimates that this would add an average of $35 a month, assuming every US adult paid this cost (which is a bold assumption).
[1] https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/6/24/18715421/internet-free-...
My every interaction with my environment doesn't involve millions of trained professionals bent to the sole purpose of influencing my actions.
Outside of ads, that is.