One of the things that I am noticing, every time I come back home, is how modern technology is advancing in every aspect of daily life, even with people who are not that 'technologically adept', like my parents. Four years ago, when I first left for Japan, my parents frowned at my extensive use of internet, and I'd say that I was the exception. Nowadays my parents are the exception for not using it so much. And even they are using the internet more and more, to do online banking, to listen to music on youtube, to check the weather before going out, etc. The possibilities are there, and society is accepting these new options, no matter whether it is in the city or in the countryside. If the internet ever really went down, it would be a disaster of global magnitude.