I don't remember any "people before the internet" ever saying anything of the sort.
I am aware of plenty of people saying it about the internet now - both that information has become an artifact of the internet and that the internet has become an artifact of the state (specifically, of American cultural and political hegemony.)
I am aware of plenty of people saying it about the internet now - both that information has become an artifact of the internet and that the internet has become an artifact of the state (specifically, of American cultural and political hegemony.)