It sounds to me that cutting himself off the internet only cut him off from part of his "problem". He saw the internet as isolating and causing him to not live "real" life. However, it seems to me that technology in general was his distraction. Is cutting the internet connection going to keep you from spending 8 hours at home playing video games? Probably not. I almost felt like he was cheating by listening to audio books, or watching tv or playing video games. The internet is simply an enhancement to your computer/phone/game console. It sounds to me like he spent much of the year depressed, and that he struggles with social anxiety.

Barring some catastrophic event, technology is here for good. Shunning it wont make our lives better, finding the balance with it will.