> owned by an ever richer and smaller [...] elite
This has been the case for a very, very, very long time. You're old enough now to see it for what it is. There are things around the owners that you are not allowed to say, perpetuated by culture and society writ large. The only two kinds of people unwilling to admit to this are either paid shills, or useful idiots. Everyone else is mum on the subject but they can see the world is orchestrated by powerful individuals who are in lockstep. They know they own things, and they are all chummy about it. The pie is divided among them.
You can file anyone who says "You're just old" under the "useful idiot" category. Anyone who believes they are a temporarily embarrassed millionaire is equally useful.
For everyone else:
Stop:
1) Reading news.
2) Watching streaming services.
3) Watching porn.
All three are owned by the same group of people and are designed to control what you see and what you think.
Instead:
1) Read books.
2) Socialize with like-minded people.
3) Lift heavy weights.
4) Help others and being kind.
5) Seek out nature - swim in lakes, eat in the mountains, and learn the sounds of birds.
6) Learn useful knots.
Lastly:
7) Escape clown world.