The comparison is ludicrous.
In the 1930s, people didn't use the telegraph, the teleprinter, or snail mail to establish large-scale forums for the purpose of sharing fan-fiction, conducting flame-wars, developing conspiracy theories, uploading vast glossaries, etc.
Consider the "Star Wars" phenomenon - or just a single facet of it like the "Jar-Jar Binks" issue. Millions of people have access to an open-ended discussion conducted by hundreds or thousands of laypersons about the literary, social, and even political aspects of that single, reviled character.
Such a thing would have been impossible - nay: unthinkable! - in the pre-Internet era.
Regards,
You take the comparison too seriously.
#30 People used carrier pigeons : )