Being only 19, I do not know what life is like without the internet and I do not understand what life is like without cell phones or social media. At times, it bothers me. I walk into a classroom and see everyone sitting on their phones instead of talking to one another. When I am walking across campus, I also notice people pick up their phones instead of having to make eye contact; they act as if it might kill them. Sometimes, I wish I would have known what it was like to live without them.

When I am out with my friends and we run out of things to say, some of them tend to pick up their phones immediately without even trying to come up with another conversation. Of course awkward silences are going to happen at some point, but I think they would be less common if we did not always feel the need to check our phones. Also, in the middle of conversations, people, myself included, pick up their phones and respond to whoever they are talking to on there. Sometimes it is annoying and even rude.

As noted before, I usually walk into class and kids are on their phone scrolling through social media, or talking to whomever. It makes me sad to see that. Although I am being a hypocrite, I am not afraid to talk to the person next to me and I feel as if the people in my generation are not like me. I wish we were not afraid to talk to one another. Face-to-face conversations seem to be becoming shorter and shorter because we run out of things to say. People feel more comfortable saying things over text rather than in person because they do not have to see the person's reactions. While some things are nerve racking to say in person, sometimes it is better that way.

Although phones seem to intrude on face-to-face conversations most days, they also have some benefits. Without things like Facebook, I would not know some important events that have been happening in my family's lives as I am at college. Having Facebook also keeps us connected with old friends, teachers and others that we do not see every day. We can get updates without them having to tell everyone directly what is going on. It is just easier on us to post a status saying what is going on instead of having to constantly repeat yourself.

By having phones, we can get instant gratification if we have any wonders. Whenever I have a question about something, I have Google at the tips of my fingers. All I have to do is type my question into my phone and I will instantly know the answer. This also comes in handy when it comes to writing research papers. On the down side, most kids my age do not know what a thesaurus is and books are getting used less and less.

I love growing up being so connected to everyone around me, but I wish I knew what it would have been like without having the amount of technology we have now. I feel as if it makes us simple minded and lazy. We do not have to look or search for anything. While it makes life sometwhat easier, it has its downsides.