They know what quality means, but it takes effort and while the majority let them get away with “meh, it'll do” or worse they'll not need to make that effort.

Heck, they probably don't care if the majority look in, see the slop, and nope out after a couple of paragraphs or less. By that time the ad impressions have been counted. That is what it is really about, not quantity (well, not directly, though that is the least effort route to more impressions) nor quality. Ad-tech is the target audience.