Society definitely needs those, but the incentives of the system most societies live under do not align to those needs. We are 100% into a society of wants, not needs, and the rewards are for those who sell stuff for these wants. Our needs went into the "cost center" of society's calculation, not an investment, and so it's been a race to the bottom for those professions.

While adtech, crypto and other bullshit gets massive funding because it can turn a profit.

The incentives to have a good society don't align with the incentives of financial capitalism.