This stance could be somewhat tenable if there were secure smartphones that didn't betray their owners, and if the systems designed around these things weren't

This stance could be somewhat tenable if there were secure smartphones that didn't betray their owners, and if the systems designed around these things weren't so janky and user-hostile (see the comment above about trying to fix some digital problem while on a bus, and having to deal with multiple accounts hassling with "login verification" and associated garbage). In other words, if these information systems could be taken for granted rather than often being a bottomless source of problems and frustration. As it stands it's completely understandable that people don't want to invest themselves into the current environment.