These technologies can make life easier can let us touch people we might not otherwise. You may have a child with a birth defect and be able to get in touch with other parents and support groups get medical information the latest experimental drugs. These things can profoundly influence life. I'm not downplaying that.
They were often the first students in their family to go to college and the very idea of higher education was still foreign to them. They had to make a conscious and often difficult decision to come to college.