The matter of what it’s worth isn’t the issue, but the fact of it being worth anything to anyone at all, and it being taken from you with little to no choice in the matter.

I view the value as being important because I see it as an exchange: use of a service for data about how one uses the service. I do think the fact this exchange is happening should be made clear, vs. the current allusion that a service is free, but I doubt many people would care.

Exchanges should be fair though (or at least both parties should be well informed when they are unfair), which may not be the case now.

I don’t think I’ve ever bought something because of an advertisement.

Side note, this is incredibly difficult to believe, tbh.

You’re probably correct. When I think of advertising, I think of the in your face completely out of place advertising, which turns me off of products and is often not even targeted correctly (as in, something I would never buy).

But things like “please turn off AdBlock or support us on X”, premium upsells, product descriptions and packaging, and hidden advertising (fake user reviews, “”“sponsored”“” reviews, posts on social media by “normal” users) are all also forms of advertising which I have been influenced by in the past, even if I didn’t realize at the time.