In context, how does the author illustrate our dependence on modern conveniences in the first two chapters of the novel, Life As We Knew It?

When a woman on Miranda's street realizes that the cell phone networks are down, she reacts in a similar way to how Miranda's family felt when they could not switch on CNN. These are the modern day conveniences that people take for granted, and that become so important to people's lives that it feels like the end of the world when they are not there. Miranda associates them with civilization, feeling as though the civilized world is already breaking down.