Millennials.

When you hear the word, what are the first things that pop into your mind?

It may be a daughter that has done well in school or it could be that one relative that is just not doing anything with their life or it could be a mixture of both. Through my experience of being a millennial, though I am just 20 years of age, I have heard both the good and the bad explanations of a millennial. However, oddly enough, I have heard more negative connotations even though as a generation we are doing pretty well.

My experience may not replicate another's,

But what exactly is a "millennial" and why are they sometimes depicted so negatively in media?

A millennial is generally described as, according to Merriam-Webster, "a person born in the 1980s or 1990s." The millennial generation, well most of them anyway, is old enough to remember 9/11 and its entirety, the recession of 2008 and the inauguration of the United States' first African American president. Also, according to Pew Research Center, the millennial generation has overtaken the baby boomer generation as "America's largest generation."

This generation has seen and done a lot of good. But they have also seen and done a lot of bad as well. Let's start off by talking about the bad.

For starters, the millennial generation has been told that they are killing a ton of industries and traditions in general. Business Insider compiled a list of all the industries that the millennial generation is supposedly "killing." This list includes "casual dining chains," "beer" and "napkins" above all things. I thought that this article was going to be scathing and cast a negative light on the millennial generation, but it gives explanations that are somewhat unbiased and it isn't too biting in its words.

A BuzzFeed article compiled a list called "Here Are 28 Things Millennials Are Killing In Cold Blood" kind of poking fun at all of the journalists and publications that have said millennials have killed an industry. This list includes some similar industries that the Business Insider list had, but there are some that are new on the BuzzFeed list such as class and vacations.

From personal experience, I know that the millennial generation has been called lazy, entitled, narcissistic people who still live with their parents. Though according to the Pew Research Center, it is true that more millennials are still living with their parents than previous generations coming in at about 15 percent living with parents, the rest of that statement seems to be untrue.

CNBC explains and asks "are millennials really that bad, or just misunderstood?" They found out from sources "that they (millennials) are not really that different from generations before." Andrew Challenger, a source that CNBC interviewed for their piece, said: "Millennials are hungrier and more well-educated than any generation in history, and they understand technology."

In articles such as this one on the Pew Research Center site, they explain that millennials are more likely to go for their bachelor's degree, showing another example of ways that millennials are not lazy. They are more than likely to go for that higher step in education.

According to a Forbes article written by Sanjeev Agrawal, millennials are the best workers. "I will go out on a limb and state that millennials may actually be the best generation of workers we’ve ever seen," they said. In their article they also have said that they "expect too much," they "are passionate about the way their jobs affect the world" and they pay the millennial generation a few other hefty compliments in the process.

In short, the millennial generation is not a "lazy" generation. Sure we might like our technology a lot and we might not be going out as much or buying as much beer as our predecessors. This, however, doesn't make us lazy.

The millennial generation has a different way of going about getting the things that they want and that might scare the generations before them. They understand technology better and they grew up during a time of recession or have had a job during the recession. This causes them to be more frugal with their money and think of ways to get more bang for their buck.

Growing up during the recession did not slow them down, but it made them stronger for the long run and it caused them to adopt a "go get 'em" attitude which led them to strive for more and getting more in return.

So, yes, I am a millennial, but I am proud to be one.