I'm guessing you've never tried to start an Internet-based business. Being able to target ads is often your lifeblood of your company. Or have you tried and somehow found a different method?
For reference, our marketing strategy is opt-in email newsletters, organic social media, the occasional sponsorship of events, and natural word-of-mouth (no incentive). And we've been in business for 12+ years.
Opt-in, or "kinda opt-in"? Or you just don't know and trust whoever publish that newsletters?
Seriously newsletters are the most annoying ads I get and by far. So many are not really opt-in, but instead use dark patterns to make you sign up.
Targeting doesn’t have to imply tracking or trading in my info. Facebook knows my age and gender, and some of my interests (from groups etc). That should be plenty. That means a company that sells kitchens can’t target people “interested in kitchens” in the sense they have recently searches for it or visited a site of a kitchen manufacturer that told Facebook. They can target people in country X of a certain age. If that doesn’t sell enough kitchens then just close down me kitchen business or buy a bus stop ad but don’t follow me around the internet.