Technology is an important factor for the short term sunk population buildup we already have, but long term, our functionality within our environment is the key factor. Electricity grids are a secondary dependency we built up as a part of consumerism(humans acting independently from their offspring's future resources and hoping Nature will miraculously regenerate). Food is the first level, but it only depends on electricity because we moved people off the land and into cities. In between that petroleum-centered move was a lot of optional paths that involve more labor and broader intelligence than the present competitive specialization and inflationary currency based uselessness.

Downsizing can be guided or unguided(collapse), but the latter is much more likely because of capitalist moral allegiances.