I’m not sure. I also definitely remember everyone thinking that it was very likely the government was spying internally also. The scale was a surprise, but not that spying happened internally. It was quite in the popular culture as well, with shows like X-Files and movies like Hackers and Sneakers and others touching on it.
It was anyway for sure not limited to Art Bell types.
X-files is a good exemple: Mulder is the architype of the odd uncle of the familly. Turns out he is right, but still, the entire world think he is bonker.
We always knew about some spying, but if you have said something resembling to xkeyscore, it would have looked like science fiction.
Even the patriot act: people believed it was temporary. In fact, they were happy it was voted. Somebody was doing something about 9/11. The voices against it were a minority.
Worst, people talking about the mass spying were associated with 9/11 denyiers to remove credibility from them.
One has to remember it was still a boomer world, meaning the perception from the public of what computer systems could do was still somewhat limited. Snowden revelations were in 2013. In 2010 my mother was still missing icons when trying to click on them and the last phone books arrived in her mailbox. I remember gently mocking her about it, but for her, it was easier to use.
It was anyway for sure not limited to Art Bell types.