Yes I remember Brosnan being disappointed that they weren't going to extend his contract and with many fans still thinking he was at his peak in the role clamouring for Eon to keep him on. Then there were the people who wanted a change, as glidrose stated above. And yes, it all played out in internet chat forums as well as the MSM. Forums have been a major component of the internet and www from the very earliest days. There were many thriving international online communities from the early '90s once the internet/www became unshackled from its military/university beginnings.
In fact, intenet chat forums are probably the oldest functioning part of the internet that are not today unrecognisable from their initial expression during the earliest days of the internet. They basically haven't changed at all, which is remarkable given the changes in technology and interface, but less remarkable given it is a predominately text-based medium. Internet 2.0 gave us embedded videos and music but those changes are marginal to discussion-based fora. And chat rooms/forums precede the effective commercialisation of the internet by a long span of time. It took companies like Amazom years to start making a profit and to convince the world that online shopping was viable and not a fad.