I think the focus of the article is more on using services deliberately rather than pure privacy, and I think the all or nothing approach to thinking of online privacy as you mention detracts from any positive effects of the little things people just starting their journey may try.

Those big companies don’t care about you. Every small step taken toward privacy is beneficial, even if it’s just eliminating one data point at a time. If you make it harder to find your info, they aren’t going to hire a PI to track you down, there are plenty of easier marks to chase.