They did…
..but perhaps the lack of the internet made it better not worse.
Comparison is the thief of joy and all that but you can see so much more in the way of people socialising, even during a pandemic, when you have the internet and not just the neighbours.
I’ve seen similar cabins to those you describe on many Scottish islands that were victims of the clearances, or perhaps a success depending on your point of view. Mingulay is a good example.