I think that is a mixed bag. I think it is really easy to feel objectively worse about your surroundings because if you are poor, you more easily see how much your are missing. You are continually surrounded by images of folks who have enough space, who are lucky enough to own a place, whose place looks clean when they clean (you can't always clean the cockroaches away nor paint away the dingy walls).

But on the other hand, you are more likely to be able to keep in touch with people. You are more likely to have some entertainment without leaving the house. You are more likely to be able to fix the loose table leg with the basic, cheap tools that you have or mend your clothes if you need really need to. When I was poorer, I would eat cheaper food to be able to afford internet just because it could distract me from my life. If you are lucky enough to have some weed as well, it makes for a much more comfortable life, even if imperfect. (Weed/hash makes me more OK with what I have and I can generally afford it before I could afford a monthly, steady rise in general household bills).

In other words: Only if you have a certain life satisfaction in the beginning.

I think the quote about mars is more indicative of the entertainment and communication that the internet brings and its innate ability to help time pass more quickly.