We shouldn't have to go back to pen & paper to avoid big tech; that's an absurd overreaction to the point of almost coming across as a strawman argument. We should expect to have privacy-respecting alternatives (e.g. from F-Droid, as others in the thread are mentioning) available, as well as effective consumer protection laws.

The solution is not to just give up; the solution is to force the world to get better.