I don't use Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc. etc. etc., you name it. Yet, somehow I am employed, have friends and hobbies, and am happily married. How could that have possibly happened?

I guess the proof is all in the etc etc etc.

How about things like using Google search, exchanging unencrypted email with people who use ad funded mail services like gmail, using software or hardware that isn't completely open source (or working with people who do), using ad funded web sites, operating systems or apps that track you, using credit cards and other authenticated payment services, using location based services, using the internet without Tor, making unencrypted phone calls?

But yes, strictly speaking you are right. It is not impossible to avoid all of that and still have a social life. It's just very very difficult, and that's why it makes sense to speak up when useful services are designed in ways that create unnecessary privacy issues.

I'm just an old codger that can't understand why people have expectations of A, B and C, when they are buying a product that says it does A, promises to do B as well as possible and tells you that it definitely can't do C because it's technically impossible. Like, back in my day people read EULAs and stuff :)