I think the author might be saying that the technical marvels have made us more productive, more available to our employers, and more detached from each other.
I can give you a list of things we did as kids that would have neighbors calling CPS today.
I walked over a 1/3rd of a mile to Kindergarten every day. Who in their right minds would risk that today?
Hah! Mr. Rockefeller! I suppose you even had shoes! We didn't have any money at all when I was a kid. The only thing we had was a cousin whose thumb smelled a little bit like a penny!
We were so poor, even the mice were hunch-backed!
I'm outta here...