Growing up, I never thought I would find a career I enjoyed. Never had an answer for what I wanted to be. Very happy to be in tech and working on things that make millions of people’s lives better.
There are many tech companies that aren’t ad tech, crypto or encouraging unnecessary consumption. Look at the list of YC companies and you’ll find plenty (https://www.ycombinator.com/topcompanies/). That’s not to say that non-YC companies aren’t worth working at. There are a lot of ways to make the world a better place through technology, like electrifying existing industries. Sorry you feel like tech has no answers for you. I’ve been there.
Being a 22 year old myself, I'm grateful that nothing in here is surprising to me and that my parents made me start a savings account when I was young (like 10 or something). To be honest, I don't think I've met anyone from my generation who expects to see money from social security when they retire.