Phones are one of the most powerful pieces of technology in the world and we’re putting them in the hands of people who don’t understand how the world works. Technology allows us to be up to date on current events. We can check the weather and time on our phones, we can get the answer to any question that we have with a few taps on a keyboard, and yet we know nothing.

We know nothing because instead of living in the moment and taking away from experiences and events, we look down at our phones and miss out. Instead of talking to our families and learning from our elders from their stories, we ask Google.

We have the power of knowing anything and everything at our fingertips. Phones can store reminders, pictures, games, media, and even TV all on one device, which is really convenient to have. The only issue is the lack of application. We as a generation are lacking in social skills and motivation. We are able to talk to anyone at any time unless they’re standing next to us in the waiting room.

Maybe we lack the motivation to do things on our own because our phones do everything. Phones tell us the time, tell us the date, and are our alarm clocks. We don’t even have to remember our friends’ birthdays anymore because we put it on our phone and it reminds us. Or we can check our snapchat which tells us their birthday. The point being, we are becoming lazy and that is a result of technology. Instead of asking someone when something is, we look it up and skip the conversation entirely. Instead of going out of our way to call and wish someone a happy birthday, we text them a message instead, not even a card.

The way a message is delivered is important. When you are talking to someone and you are trying to show some empathy, it comes off as genuine when you are with that person. But if you are texting and you send them the “I feel so bad, I hope things get better” you don’t realize just how generic that text is. And maybe you mean it, but the other person just can’t tell entirely.

We as a generation are becoming less and less social. We also have more anxiety, depression and rates of suicide. We don’t know how to regulate our time on social media. We can’t control ourselves because we are addicted.

What we need to do is make a plan: find a way to regulate ourselves so we aren’t using our phones or social media as much as we currently are. We need to find a way not to become a silent society where everyone goes on their phones to complain, or bring up issues, or start movements. We need to put down our phones, go outside, and talk to people we come across. We need to take in life.