Look at the date of the Betty Friedan book mentioned the article, or consider the Stones' song about "Mother's little helper" (valium) or, for that matter, Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina. All far predated the Internet or even the ARPANET.
I think its exacerbated the issue. Social anxiety ramped up due to social networks, plenty of cheap entertainment over the internet to just barely keep going while sinking ever deeper.