You should delete your account as mentioned here. The second step is creating a new account and pretending you’re under 18. It will be free without targeted ads.
I agree that it’s better to have multiple options. The issue with adblockers I often see is that they are adware themselves when not malware. With ublock origin, you can block contents of various types and not just ads. I prefer people having ublock origin than any bad option out there.
Depending on the research subject, people built networks on Twitter. It’s hard to move on another platform as you will loose your network.