Before the Internet there were encyclopedias (if you could afford them), before that there were books, and at that time and earlier, someone studied and learnt for many years to become learned. Today the Internet puts the world’s knowledge within instant access to most people.
Makes one realize how far we have come in just the last ten years or so, and how empowered the masses have become… The act of learning has had to also evolve and I’m sure we’ll see far more interactive remote learning happening… and available to those who a few years back could never had exposure to this knowledge.
See https://www.wired.com/2017/05/the-mechanical-universe/ 
The Traditional Lecture Is Dead. I Would Know—I’m a Professor | WIRED
An awesome science show from the ’80s makes it to YouTube, and it shows just how pointless the traditional lecture is.