When you believe the end is near (I believe in the 90's they still did), the internet must have also been considered a logical step in order to fulfill Matthew 24:14 in its final stages (well, at least it must have given that impression to many JW's).
H2O was the first internet forum for JW and non-JW to share information and Google was just beginning. That might have looked still manageable when WT started their own website in 1997 (I believe it was that year). Soon after, Y2K and the 2001 terrorist attacks seemed to indicate there was something huge to come, but...again the end didn't come.
Like LisaRose said, the world became more than obsessed with the latest digital technology and it exploded during the 00's. The world now lives online and yes, that includes JW's.
So, time has proven to be against them, Pandora's box cannot be closed and like never before, fact checking, information sharing, bad publicity and activism is weakening the Borg like termites. Also, the danger of "accidentally" stumbling on online porn and "apostate" material becomes inevitable when the Borg allows you to use smartphones and tablets all the time for service, watching and showing video's, online bible reading, for singing kingdom songs, for research etc.