No it's different because of the internet. People weren't so quick to act like complete assholes because they could without repercussions. The internet was new to a lot of people and people were excited just to use it for the first time. Now everyone is sort of jaded and while it is a great tool to bring people together around the world to talk and share information, it's just not the same as socializing in person and making friends that way.
I also sort of disagree about the whole mud, EQ, WoW thing. MUDs aren't like MMOs. They are text based games. WoW may be kind of like EQ but it took MMOs in this specific direction and due to its success a lot of MMOs have tried to specifically copy it with a few minor new features but all have pretty much failed because they haven't really stood out or added anything new to the genre. That's why people go back to WoW. They've invested so much time in that game and know how it works, they don't have to learn a new system in a MMO that's pretty much the same as WoW or that sucks.
I kind of doubt the new Titan MMO Blizzard is developing will be as successful as WoW. MMOs kind of suck for the most part. They require subscriptions, they require lots of time, usually require finding a good guild for raiding and/or pvp (this appears very difficult from my experience). It's just a lot of work for little payoff and the fact you have to keep paying monthly for it. I think a lot of people realize that after playing a few MMOs now and aren't going to be interested in playing a new one. Not unless it's somehow actually revolutionary in technology and gameplay and keeps endgame interesting and not boring.