Yep, each generation thinks they're special. But I think the early internet was different since it had literally just went from 0->1
That is to say the idiots back then were almost smarter than the average user today
TCP/IP was standardized in 1982 and commercial ISPs didn't exist until 1989
But, separately, my own experience is that there is a particular quality to those places where people need to pass a barrier of entry to get in and those are still happening all over the place. I played against highly-skilled players on day 1 of the PS4 launch, had intelligent conversations on Clubhouse when it was invite-only, and regularly find people with clear minds inside certain pay-only doors.
I think the early internet was just that effect on a scale that was more impactful to the public where now everything is so siloed and fragmented.
Media conglomerates and tech oligopolies make it seem like people are “idiots now” but humans are humans and I don’t think that’s changed in the last few decades.