>I wonder why society decided that advertising was so important, it was willing to let it completely dominate (and in my opinion destroy) our public spaces.
Because advertising is a form of speech, and society has decided that speech is important?
Because advertising is a form of speech, and society has decided that speech is important?
You can not scream about it in the middle of the night, since doing so bothers your neighbors.
Letting anyone and everyone do what ever they want would lead to anarchy. So no society, USA included, does this.
But some actors in societies have convinced the western population, especially Americans, into the fantasy of "freedom without limitation", which, just so happens to only apply to the rich and powerful, while everyone else has to contend with limitations on their freedoms.