[tuatoru]

Er, we had the internet during the dot-com crash. And before it, even.

As I recall, things were not quite so bad in the 1980s. I vaguely recall seeing the odd newspaper article about the intense interest in a job, because it attracted maybe 500 applications. That was newsworthy.

[lazide]

It used to be you had to physically show up, or mail in a form to apply. That tends to put the brakes on mass applications pretty effectively.

It’s less the internet, and more folks using the internet/apps for processes that used to require in person physical presence. Which has been getting more and more common.