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> They're all just vehicles to produce cash.

This is literally any entertainment product

Sure, so where do you draw the line between ad vs no ad? It's all the same, it doesn't matter.

An ad doesn’t itself provide (significant) entertainment value, and exists primarily to get you to consume something else later.

All entertainment wants to get you ‘hooked’ but that’s mostly a good thing since it makes it enjoyable. Even Homer wrote a sequel!

Furthermore a lot of ads seem quite obviously designed to annoy and harass, not to entertain, just so they get their hooks in deeper. But I'll also agree with the counterpoint - it's all a matter of perspective and what's entertaining for some can be annoying or harassing for others.

What is the difference between an "ad" and content designed to get you "hooked" ???

Both are designed influence behavior and retain your attention. They are for all intents and purposes the same thing. Virtually everything is a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Or all other goods and services, for that matter, in a market economy.

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