I disagree, twice. Technically, yes, all communication is manipulation, but I'm concerned about the intention of communication/advertising. Although some ads c

I disagree, twice. Technically, yes, all communication is manipulation, but I'm concerned about the intention of communication/advertising. Although some ads could only be informative, the vast majority exist not to inform, but to disinform/mislead. The proportion of ads advertising new products/services (as opposed to simply reinforcing existing brands) is miniscule. There already exist many services that allow exploration of new products. Things like ProductHunt and similar websites, various blogs, online communities like FB and HN, ...). Advertising is a net loss on the economy - it's a zero-sum game (people's attention is finite), so the more money my competitors spend on ads, the more money I have to waste on advertising as well, and I can't improve my product!