I don't really post much on Facebook these days. Sure, I scroll through it at least once a day, but rarely will I put forth the energy to comment on something or share an article - no one even posts real statuses anymore. But, I do look at everything I can (probably due to boredom), and almost every day without fail, I will see a million articles shared by people my age and older alike that follow a strange theme: "Why This Generation Is Forgetting How to Fall in Love," "How Social Media is Ruining All Your Relationships," or "Could Millennials Even Live Without Their Phones?"

I can answer that last one with a resounding "no." Sorry, my phone goes everywhere with me, and I really don't feel bad about it. The generation before us that tends to demonize millennials likes to point to this as a social crutch, an inability to see the friends that are right in front of us that we ignore in favor of checking our phone at dinner. What they don't see is that we are pulling up a funny joke we saw earlier that really made us think of our best friend or we are looking up a photo we know will make a significant other's day.

And I think that's the main thing that is misunderstood about our generation. All this technology that is seen as pulling us out of reality and into some superficial fantasy world is actually doing the exact opposite - we are more connected to each other than ever. Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr etc. are all what connect us to friends from across states and continents in ways that were never even feasible when we were born. We are in almost constant communication with loved ones via text messages or FaceTime or a dozen other messaging platforms. We are strengthening relationships and meeting new people without even lifting more than our thumbs. We aren't disrespecting our relationships at all; most people I know value being there for their friends in any means necessary. We may not be able to hop in a car and drive five hours to you in the middle of the night, but we can stay up on the phone with you for five hours reassuring you that you're never alone.

It's not like this evolving technology is anything new, either. Our grandparents' generation was scared by the idea of televisions. They feared it would melt young people's brains, that they would stay planted in front of the screen for ages and never develop properly. Now, televisions are an accepted and assimilated part of American society. There will always be something new for the latest generation to obsess over that terrifies the generation before them.

So, don't think that your children will never know the value of a heart-to-heart conversation over a cup of coffee. We do. We'll even send you a picture if you're so concerned.