There's no doubting that I had more face to face contact before the 'net, Tony, and that nowadays a lot of my friends are on line. I should add, though, that being agoraphobic, that's actually been a benefit to me. Another element is that, being retired, I have more time to be online.
Netters is my primary forum, Pals my secondary, and I do visit two or three others regularly, ie at least daily.