I consider advertising to be fundamentally different from word of mouth networks and friend recommendations. Friends do not have conflicts of interest. They recommend things to you because they like it and think you would too, not because they stand to make billions in profit.
Advertisements are inherently untrustworthy: you must assume ads are showing you the positives and hiding the negatives.
People are generally exposed to reviews by third parties. They do their research and only then buy. Most products can be replaced / returned if you are not satisfied. Limited friend circle and their limited exposure to existing and new products should not be a determining factor in deciding what should I like or not. It should be my personal decision.
Politicians / media are inherently untrustworthy. Yet society chugs along.
Advertisements are inherently untrustworthy: you must assume ads are showing you the positives and hiding the negatives.