Are we are going to have to wait for a generation to die and for millions of lives to be lost (indirectly, say, through a demagogue's botched response to a pandemic needlessly leading to the infection of millions) before the average person is comfortable using a protocol (say, ActivityPub and RSS) instead of these parasitic for-profit platforms?

As long as the search for truth is burdened with advertising on platforms democracy and freedom are doomed.

If you don't see these things are linked, then you're part of the problem.