Nowadays, teenagers and young adults are constantly being criticized for the attachment we have to our cell phones. It feels like every time I get my phone out to do something, someone else is telling me to put it away. But cell phones are amazing and powerful pieces of technology that allow us to document the things that are happening in our lives. For some, a phone acts as a journal to note the things that are happening and the ways that they're feeling for later reflection. Others use their phones as cameras to record the beauty that surrounds them. Phones are a magical tool that help us to make connections with the world. There's access to all sorts of news via cell phones. No matter what I use it for, you should really stop telling me to put my phone away.

I can put my phone down. I know when I should put my phone down. I have, and will continue to, abandon my phone for a few hours if I'm spending quality time with someone I care about. But when the appropriate time comes for us to be reunited with our cellulars, don't make me feel guilty for it. If you're spending time with me, know that I'm not trying to blow you off by responding to somebody else via text. And to the older generation: stop making me feel like an imbecile for adoring my technology.

It's a cycle, every generation complains about the laziness of the following generation. They complain about new technology and believe with a passion that it's responsible for "brainwashin' the young'ns." The technology allegedly responsible for brainwashing millennials? Smartphones. But cell phones enable teenagers and young adults to become much more culturally aware than they might've otherwise been. I've heard over and over again that it's awful how the world has so much fear because we hear about every horrific thing that happens the instant it occurs. As if the world was a better place when we didn't know about the horrors that were happening. This is an absurd idea.

Millennials are the future, and the fact that we are aware of the not-so-good things that are happening is so important. Social media, which has been made very accessible via smartphones, is one of the strongest tools for spreading information. And the increase in information made readily available to us, when understood properly, can be a powerful tool to ignite the changes we're expected to make. The changes that need to happen.

So, to the pessimistic person who's constantly criticizing my decision to check my phone on a regular basis, please get off my case. I am spending quality time with people I love. I am also documenting this quality time so I can remember it more accurately later. I am staying in contact with other people who mean a lot to me. I'm not a zombie for reading articles on my smartphone, I'm actually trying to be the opposite. So don't hate on me and my technology. And please, for the love of all that is good, stop telling me to get off my cell phone.