Your first paragraph is what I've always thought: "back in the day" most people simply didn't have the option to be a hermit. In modern life, your bills, grocery shopping, car registration, hobbies, etc. can all be handled online / in your home.

In my opinion, it takes a lot of time and energy to avoid loneliness in the modern era. So, advice about "just get yourself out there" is technically accurate, but it misses the mark since previous generations didn't need to put much thought, if any, into socializing. Perhaps not everyone is wired to focus so much energy into that aspect of their life and we're seeing that play out with modern amenities?