I think it’s a myth that people consumed less information just a few decades ago. Remember that newspapers used to have at least two daily editions (morning and afternoon). And of course radio has had continuous news flashes for a century.

This is similar to the myth that people communicated less before the messaging apps: they were glued to their phone for hours, sent telegrams and even sent very short letters (delivered same day!) to just say "thanks for the lunch that was very nice" (I found some in my grand-parents’s papers)

Our (social) communication appetite has always been quite insatiable.