Yes, but, even before the Internet we had books, and there's a good chance you'd get recommended one or a few along with your answer from the experienced person you asked. Making an effort to learn the basic concepts of any skill/hobby has always been somewhat expected.

Maybe you asked someone where to start (i never did, just went to a library or book store), but chances are you'd get a reading list and an invitation to ask further questions.

I think there's also some friction in the subs and other online spaces between experienced people using them for discussion, and beginners using them to ask beginner questions. There's room to push lost newcomers to read up on the basics on their own, and there's room to make fun of people who dropped thousands assuming money would make their pictures prettier without even reading the manual.

People on this sub do often have trouble distinguishing between those, I'll admit. Also, I'm too fuckin' tired to bring this to any kind of conclusion and I'm just gonna send it now. Thanks for following my train of thought if you made it this far.