I'm not saying it is a good thing, but this is completely out of touch with how dependent (most) people are on these technologies.
What's the difference between then and now?
Pay phones, basically? Physical maps being available in public places more readily?
I tried to pick an obvious example to illustrate how that's not true.
The difference is that, prior to everyone having a smart phone, people had backups for if they ran into trouble. They might simply not go somewhere that they might have trouble returning from. They sorted out their travel plans in advance - someone to pick them up from a location at a time. They memorized phone numbers so they could call from a pay phone if they needed to. They carried cash or a cheque book to pay for cabs.
But you're definitely right. We become pretty reliant pretty quickly. I think that should be concerning with the way technology is trending in society