Within the past decade, the status quo in society has been overwhelmingly overturned as millennials and Generation Z have made their way into the spotlight. A new era has risen as younger generations are no longer afraid to speak up about what they believe in.

However, with all of this change being provoked, there may be some fundamental principles and morals that these younger generations are forgetting. Here are five things that millennials and Generation Z have a tendency to do that may be damaging to their progress in the end.

1. We have become overly sensitive to topics--to the point that no one can speak freely without someone taking offense.

If members of our generation chose to stop and listen to others instead of trying to find the flaws in every statement, I think they would find that there is a lot of common ground in our opinions and that not everyone is actively working against them. People need room to breathe and should feel free to share their opinions without the fear that someone will be triggered, lash out or blow something out of proportion.

2. We have forgotten how to view the world outside the lens of social media platforms.

Many of us are addicted to these social outlets and put more effort into the person we are creating on these platforms rather than seeking genuine happiness and fulfillment.

3. We tend to have less respect for our elders and our country.

We can’t forget that we must respect those in authority and the country we live in, regardless of whether we believe it is deserved or not. No person or country is perfect, but that doesn’t mean that we can walk over the flag or disrespect older generations. In the end, we shouldn’t feel so entitled because we don’t know it all, and we are far from perfect ourselves.

4. We have re-created the concept of ‘dating’ and normalized hook-up culture and casual dating.

In many ways, I think our generation fears vulnerability and commitment and because of this, dating has turned into a casual, no-strings-attached phenomenon. People ask for Snapchats and usernames rather than numbers, they ‘hang out’ rather than date and they act like they don’t care or drop subtle hints rather than truly opening up about their feelings.

5. Our need for instant gratification and fast-paced lifestyle give us the impression that we need to be successful as quickly as possible.

For some reason, our generation is under the impression that we have to be successful, married and wealthy by the time we are 30 years old. We see all of these thriving young adults and their success stories and feel the need to rush into earning our own success. Many of us have forgotten that we are not in a race or a competition with others.

All of this being said, millennials and Generation Z seem to get a lot of flack from older generations. Because of this, it restricts us from reaching our potential as complaints that we are "always on our phones" or "don’t know what hard work is" circulates around us. Obviously there are many things we need to work on and strive for, but that comes with every generation. While our fast-paced lifestyles, our willingness to speak out and our technology-driven world may serve to be problematic at times, these qualities have stimulated more acceptance of diversity in all manners, more encouragement to spark transformation and a more united community of passionate and driven people.