Don't get me wrong. I hate when older generations complain about ours just as much as the next adolescent.

I don't think that we're uneducated, lazy or selfish. Our generation has done great things. We've made careers out of entertaining people via Youtube and social media. Our social organizations do GREAT things for our communities. And if you just log onto Twitter, you'll see that we are funny as hell.

So no, I'm not here to bash my generation. However, there is one massive problem among us, and it's ruining our relationships, self-esteem and ability to communicate.

We are dangerously connected to one another at all times, and we lack the self-discipline needed to disconnect.

Ah, yes. Another social media rant. I used to hate these just as much as the next millennial. I thought, "Nobody knows what they're talking about. They just didn't have social media in their day. Times just change."

It wasn't until I cut back on my own phone time and watched my peers that I realized that our addiction to social media actually is detrimental to ourselves and to one another.

Hear me out, because I'm just as guilty of this as you. This is coming from a place of conviction, not blame.

We literally live in a virtual universe. Everything that happens on social media matters more than what happens in real life. We've started doing things thinking about the pictures we will get to post instead of the actual experience.

If your boyfriend doesn't post about you as much as you post about him, he doesn't care. If your girlfriend favorites another guy's picture, she's cheating. If someone doesn't reply to your Snapchat or text right away, that's rejection. If your friend doesn't like your Instagram picture, they aren't really your friend.

If you date somebody, you expect to text all day every day.

That is not natural. You are NEVER supposed to be in constant communication with anyone.

We text things that we cannot say in person. We're so quick to type a paragraph-long text message to somebody we're upset with but when we are face-to-face, we freeze.

We lack proper communication. Do you realize how crazy that is?

But we do it anyway, and it isn't healthy. We have given the way we act over the Internet so much power, and it has created an unhealthy obsession. We're constantly refreshing and stalking people's online profiles. We have several apps that allow us to see what everyone is doing at all times of the day.

Why are we so obsessed with what other people are doing?

Think of how much time you spend on your phone, then think about all the other things you could be doing with that time. You would become so much more productive. Invest in your hobbies, grow within yourself and pay attention to the people who are actually with you.

You miss out on so many memories with the people in your life by having your nose in your phone.

Forty years from now, you aren't going to remember the Instagram picture you got a lot of likes on or your funny tweet. You're going to remember the people you loved and how you loved them. Choose them over your phone.

If you don't believe me, spend a month without social media. Try being on your phone less. I promise you will start to see the world around you differently, and you'll appreciate the people around you more. You'll also realize how rude it is to be with somebody and be on your phone the whole time — and trust me, they notice.

Be present. Your phone can wait.