With a privacy protecting setup, the mainstream internet is almost unusable. To sign up for social media or even a gmail account, one has to provide a phone number for verification. Youtube doesn’t work when not signed into a Google account, or if one is connected to a VPN. Even downloader programs like yt-dlp and freyr have been rendered useless by the strict access controls of the major platforms. There is a vast amount of community, DIY, and educational material of all sorts behind these platform walls, so how can someone who doesn’t want to be tracked access any of it these days?
There are alternatives like archive.org and peertube which are wonderful but have nowhere near the amount of content that people have been uploading to YouTube over the years. For example, if I need to fix a washing machine and there is a tutorial on YouTube, how can I see it while still preserving a modicum of privacy online?
Install jellyfin on your computer, Buy second hand DVDs from people who are selling them, rip them onto your PC.
That doesn’t help for the Youtube-first (or rather, Youtube-only) media OP is actually complaining about:
There are a few channels using things like Nebula or Floatplane, but for most Youtube channels, if you can’t watch them on Youtube you’re shit outta luck.
Thrift stores are also a great way to pick up DVDs and CDs. My server is loaded with music and media. We don’t use any subscription services. Everything we watch or listen to we own and enjoy without any third parties spying on us.