The Amish selectively choose what's allowed, then add on all sorts of arbitrary stuff. Own a computer? OK, but someone else runs it and it must be for business. Phones? Sure, but 100 yards from the house. Tractors? OK, but no rubber wheels.
Sure, the rationale is to make sure none of those things "pollute" their lives or allow them to mingle with the outside world. It's still quite cultish though and it's sad so many kids are forced to deal with it.
Yes, it is more fascinating. Besides what MichaelGG said that the Amish do use modern technology when they think it's useful, there are way more documentaries about the Amish than about people living like 30 years ago.
It's worth realizing how much our world changed in those decades.