Do something different. Write software that solves real problems and give it away. Fund yourself by coding for companies that solve real problems.
This isn't complicated.
I don't agree that all web-based businesses are media companies. It's possible to do real work and solve problems on the web and have nothing to do with "media" or advertising or social anything.
All of these websites are media based. These websites focus on the content that they provide. None of these services, with the exception of perhaps Google, really care about software development. All of them care about their sites content.
Because all of these websites are media based, their business models revolve around ads and click counts.
Giving away the tools lets the users help themselves, and frees you of the burden of having to keep the service alive and monetize users.
Any modern web-based business must think of themselves as a media company. The software designers must ask themselves not how can I make something happen, but what content should I deliver to my users. There has been a paradigm shift in the industry. The code and how it works is irrelevant, and what matters most is the media that your service offers.
The author seems to wish that this weren't so, but unfortunately it is. I wish it weren't so, but it is. There does not seem to be any way around the issue.