I remember a time before it came into existence, then soon came a time when one kid in school had it. That’s when it all started. That one girl showing her fancy new toy to all of us other kids with the old beloved flip phones, Razors or Envies; that was the start of the technological takeover.

I was in elementary school when I first heard of the iPhone and when my parents got the first big bulky version that would now be made fun of. These days, you can barely find a kid in middle school who doesn’t own an iPhone or at least want one more than the scooter or Aeropostle clothes I was completely content with.

I got by fine with my flip phone occasionally asking to play with the apps on my parents’ phones.

Finally, I was maybe a freshman or a sophomore in high school and I got my first iPhone. I got to hold it in my hand; it was mine and I downloaded everything that was “cool” at the time. Everything that I just couldn’t live without.

Every social media app, every game, went through it’s “popular phase.” I had them all. My friends had them all. Everyone had them all. If you didn't know about the new up and coming app, then there's no doubt you would hear at school the next day.

I already had a Facebook that I would get to check on my computer after school, as you can tell from old embarrassing photo albums or old statuses about basketball practice, sleepovers or homework, maybe even a like for a like…but now it was on my phone. I could check it anywhere, anytime. It was amazing, we were living through a hand held technological revolution. But all we really cared about at the time was that we could update our status on the bus or secretly under our desk and not in front of the family Dell PC.

Eventually, I got an Instagram. Old Instagram photos are definitely the best to stalk, especially your own. You are always guaranteed a laugh because the art and editing standard for Instagram has definitely gone up over the past few years in my young social media user opinion.

One of the biggest concerns with my generation today has to be, "Why do eighth graders get so many likes on Instagram when we got like four (we probably liked our own, so three)?

Well obviously they make an app for that, it’s 2016, and the kids these days tend to be more technologically advanced than the college students.

For example, I come home from college and I don’t know how to switch the TV from normal television to Netflix every single time, so one of my younger brothers has to do it for me.

Therefore, more Instagram likes for the children.

Anyways, soon Snapchat came out…and then everyone’s favorite update (especially DJ Khaled’s) came out. You could make stories. Long ago, Snapchat existed without stories, imagine that…but you could see other people’s best friends at that time so the creepiness evened out.

I think another fitting name for Snapchat would be Stalkchat.

This is probably the number one most confusing app to explain to your parents. If they have a Snapchat, then they might be considered the pretty cool parents, but I don’t know if you want them seeing your stories. Especially your stories after an exciting night out.

The point of all this is in the matter of a few years we went from dialing up our best friend’s house phone (actually pressing real buttons) to shooting them a touch screen text in a second. You probably even already have an idea of where they are or what they’re doing depending on what social media you’ve checked that day.

This instant connection and technology can be argued to be beneficial or detrimental to society. The amount of time some people invest looking at a screen or scrolling down a News Feed instead of actually trying to connect with those around them can be sickening.

Our generation got to witness one of the fastest advances in technology ever experienced in the palm of our hand. We watched the cell phone evolve. Most college students' parents today didn't even have their own computer in college and for kids today it is the end of the world if our phone dies, or if we get a crack in our screen.

Spend your time enjoying other things in life besides your phone. It’s never fun hanging out with that person whose more invested in the palm of their hand than their friends. You don’t need to obsess over your Instagram likes, you don’t need to check everyone’s Snapchat stories, you don’t need to know what everyone is doing everyday. It’s not worth your precious time.

It’s extremely easy to lose yourself and get caught up in everything that is offered today, sometimes the best thing to do is call up that best friend, meet up with them, turn off your phone and just live in the moment.

Technology will always just be technology.