Conversely, I'm so opposed to the enshitification that I've carefully tailored my internet usage to places that aren't shit and have no prospect of becoming shit, like Lemmy. Since I don't even have the motivation of not supporting an evil company, I'm more addicted that ever.

I mean, what can be done? If you want or need to use the thing you almost have no choice.

We have to act collectively.

1. Don't buy products or use services that require personal info. Of course, this means being willing to make do without some things, at least until they're convinced/forced to change or alternatives appear. In cases where the thing is a necessity, push back (clearly, articulately, and firmly) before sharing your info. Let them know that they're losing goodwill by being nosy, and that you'll stop buying from them as soon as you can.
2. Look for products/services that respect our privacy, and support them when possible.
3. Pass legislation that forbids needlessly collecting such info. Some regions (e.g. European Union, California) have already taken small steps in this direction. We need to take it further, everywhere.

I think it might also be helpful to have some kind of (independently verified) privacy labeling program for products and services. It would ease some of the burden from consumers when shopping around, and could become an easy marketing tool for companies that want to attract customers.

Yes it’s hard to deal with. I try to do my best to boycot companies that do this. Youtube, Reddit, Google search and chrome are things I don’t use anymore and the list keeps growing. My next doorbell will be a different brand but choices are limited ofcourse.

On the other hand, there are more and more alternatives popping up lately, Mastodon, Lemmy, Peertube. This is a sign that people are getting tired of this shit. I hope this trend continues.

And the big companies are intentionally breaking their services on clients that give any measure of control back to the users. That should be a blatant anti-trust suit, but they don't care. Just the cost of doing business if for some reason one of the politicians they own actually takes any action against them.

Could you point me to some starting points or good reads by Richard Stallman? He got a solution to the cycle, then I'm down.