A Middle Tech Society Without Access to the Net

[Rynn]

If you're looking for examples, MANY "space opera" settings written prior to the 1990s rarely addressed large area computer networks. From Foster's Humanx setting to Asimov's Foundation to Pournelle's Codominium and Niven's Known Worlds, information technology often had mighty computers and AIs but scant vision of anything like the Internet.

I've been reading a Greg Egan short story collection this weekend from the early 90s. Most of the stories are set early-mid 21st century and the lack of internet is extremely noticeable and in some cases makes for a quant story. Like how in one a detective goes to collect encyclopedia CDs from a local library for research.