If something happened to your phone and suddenly you lost all your contacts, would you be able to recall any of your contacts numbers by memory? A few years ago. Probably. The ability to easily know someone's phone number without memorizing it has become harder and harder to do with the advancement of the technology. Now, the new developments in technology have been great, but something like knowing someone's phone number has become "old-fashioned."

As a child, having or using a cell phone, iPad, tablet or any other electronic device was a privilege. Actually, while I was growing up, items such as the iPad had not been created yet, sure cell phones and computers existed but not to the capacity or level that they do today.

One of the main problems with technology today is many of the younger generations have become too reliant on it.

For example, some studies from the New York Times have found that cheating has become easier due to the easy ability to take a picture of someone else's work and that for many students this has become a socially acceptable thing to do. Often they're just one click away from doing it. In this day and age, people have literally become addicted to the internet and looking down at their various devices.

However, there is an upside to the advancement of technology. The creation of social networks like Facebook and Instagram have given us, as a society, the ability to connect, keep up and communicate with people not only domestically but internationally as well. It has helped us maintain and build relationships with those people in ways that were not possible before.

Search engines like Google have made it easier to research and find information so you don't have to spend hours in a library going through book after book to find what you need for a project or paper you are working on.

Of course, what is on the internet can sometimes not be true, which is another problem altogether. Because it is the internet, anyone who has a computer or any type of device that can connect can go on and change information on some websites such as Wikipedia. These are great to give the reader some idea of the topic but they aren't reliable for in-depth research.

How have we gone from having a computer take up space in say the size of a small bedroom to what is the modern day smartphone and laptop, and what does this have to do with our dependence on it?

Well, it should be first noted that the first computers weren't necessarily used at home and when they first came out not many people had them. Now, they are a necessity for the modern student and many jobs. I do believe that without much of the technology we have today many things would not be possible. But at the same time, we should take a break and do something that doesn't require a smartphone or computer.