The only thing the internet allows you to do is find information.
You don’t need “pre internet information gathering” experience to figure out where information is held. I know the location of many libraries off the top of my head.
I can go there, figure out the system they use, read a few books to find what I need, then head home.
Point is that most people who read on Internet have not the experience to do somthing without Internet since they never lived without internet.
The only thing the internet allows you to do is find information.
You don’t need “pre internet information gathering” experience to figure out where information is held. I know the location of many libraries off the top of my head.
I can go there, figure out the system they use, read a few books to find what I need, then head home.
I think that you overestimate the capacity of the yourger people to solve problems without any access to any form of online informations.