Your argument boils down to "content creators need to make money, and the only expedient way for them to make money is to show ads".
And you know what? Perhaps it is.
Even if that's the case, I still think it's unethical, that a bit more brainpower should be put into a funding model that isn't ads. Even if it increases friction.
The most expedient way to expand a country's border is still war, and I believe that's unethical as well.
Well you missed the first part of the argument, which is that ads can be intrinsically useful for discovery of things you didn't know you needed but would actually be useful in your life.
With regards to the second part, which you addressed, it's one thing to say "this is bad we should replace it with X". It is an entirely different thing to say "this is bad I have no idea what we should replace it with". Because nothing is black and white, so it doesn't matter how bad ads are if the thing that replaces them is then worse.
And you know what? Perhaps it is.
Even if that's the case, I still think it's unethical, that a bit more brainpower should be put into a funding model that isn't ads. Even if it increases friction.
The most expedient way to expand a country's border is still war, and I believe that's unethical as well.