Blocking ads only works because just a small percentage of users block ads. It's a free-rider situation and someone has to pay. If everyone blocks ads then sites will either counter ad blockers or if that's not possible, implement a pay wall.
The web existed before ads and was funded by people that cared and were interested in something.
Now it's funded by ad companies and those don't care about anything but sales and have no interest in anything but money.
The useful internet made and used by people with interests and investment on a personal level is mostly dead. Replaced with shovelware and filler content to place intrusive ads around. Content has become the payload for ads, the more the better. Quality doesn't matter anymore, just deliver payloads with ads.