"I actually liked the time when access to information wasn't democratized to such a degree"...
Most probably because you still had access to more information than many others. Me learning to do something by myself, something that could take me days or months, instead of being able to access that info almost instantly and then doing the same thing in hours or days, I really can't compare.
About detecting manipulation, this can't be done if we are constantly fed with only one sided info. That's why digging on your own is important, being informed only from your country's TV or media channels will never be a solution.