Nah conspiracies go way back. Delusional behavior and thinking has always been a standard feature for humanity, it’s only relatively recently that it’s become so visible. Satanic Panic, red scare, and UFO conspiracies were a relatively big thing throughout the mid to late 20th century - and still are. Illuminati conspiracies go back hundreds of years. There are at least several dozen more examples like this and that’s only if you don’t wanna get all religious with it and include stuff like the Millerites or the Popish Plot.

Mainly because the internet was a place you had to actually visit. It couldn’t follow you around all day and intercede in daily affairs.

In the old days, every village had one or two idiots. Thanks to the internet, the idiots have created their own village.