Having been around "Before The Internet," they're onto something but they miss a key part of it.

Interruptions and expectations.

Interconnection is great because it means people can reach you whenever they need you. It's also terrible because it means people can reach you whenever they need you.

If I'm hanging out with a friend and there's nothing but a landline, I'm there with that friend. We're not talking to other people, we're not being distracted by random messages, we're just involved in what we're doing and devoting our full attention to that.

Now that in and of itself is annoying but it's not all encompassing because it leads people to think "oh just turn off your cell phone and then it's fine."

Except it's not and it's not fine for reasons that people are subconsciously aware of but can't really articulate.

It's not fine because the world is now built around the expectation of immediate contact. You get a text, someone wants a response now. You get a call and someone is annoyed that you didn't pick up. You get an email and you lose out on something because you took three hours to respond. We've re-shaped our world around the idea that it's possible and indeed desirable to be able to get a hold of whoever we want whenever we want.

The world "Before The Internet" didn't have that expectation because that capacity didn't exist. The world feels more frenetic because it is more frenetic and just turning off your cell phone doesn't make that go away.