Crash 2.0 wasn't necessarily "the source" of them, it does seem to be connected, as it's the timeline for when TMs began to exist. Before it, there were Otaku, which were similar, but not the same. Otaku could hack without using decks, but still needed a datajack to hook up to the matrix. I don't know if they could summon sprites, either. Then the second crash happens, and technomancers start appearing.
