Keep telling yourself that if it helps. ;) While at some level ads probably do help consumers (indirectly), my impression so far is that at a fundamental level

Keep telling yourself that if it helps. ;) While at some level ads probably do help consumers (indirectly), my impression so far is that at a fundamental level they are about companies competing for money, in a way which wastes everybody's time. Since your point of view is so vastly different, I'm curious in which ways you feel like they give consumers choice?