When did the Internet come to reflect society?

When it became ubiquitous to industrialized societies. 1995-ish, in my opinion.

Were we always distrusting mean and vindictive before the net?

Absolutely.

Are we really that bad?

Without a doubt.

“The world is far better and worse than you can possibly imagine.”

“You may have me at ‘better’, Dr. Sattler, but you can’t hold a candle to me on ‘worse’.”

• Contact, by Dr. Carl Sagan