Before I entered college, I was a borderline phone addict. I would spend hours on end scrolling through my Twitter feed, googling pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal or getting lost in the darkest depths of YouTube watching French music videos. I always felt guilty about spending too much time on my phone, like I was committing a crime. Coming into college, one of my goals was to be "more present" - to stop looking at my phone constantly and actually start experiencing the things that were happening around me.

The first six weeks of college were some of the craziest weeks of my life thus far - I was constantly busy, trying to connect with my professors, meet new people, and take advantage of every opportunity that my university had to offer me. And while it was hectic, it was also wonderful, and it felt amazing to be immersing myself in my life, rather than living life virtually.

But when I went home to upstate New York for the first time on Columbus Day, I realized something. I hadn't taken a single picture to show my family and friends back home what an incredible time I was having at college. I also had not followed what was going on in my friends' lives back at home. My minimal usage of social media meant that I had missed a lot of important milestones in the lives of my friends and family. I felt out of the loop, and I felt really upset that I hadn't captured any of the great memories I had made over the last few weeks at school.

While some might argue that my generation is over-connected and screen-saturated, I think it is really important to recognize what a positive asset technology can be in the lives of young people. We have the capability to participate in a global network unlike ever before. Social media sites, instant messaging programs, and e-mail allow us to follow and communicate with anyone, from anywhere, at any time, almost instantaneously. Our cell phones, computers, and tablets allow us to capture and record our lives in real time. And while many assert that one can't truly experience something if they are taking pictures of it through their phone, I struggle to agree with this notion. I think it is so incredible that we can capture memories at the press of a button and have those memories to look back on for a lifetime. I am proud to live in a generation that is so willing to connect with other people on a technological platform, because this indicates our eagerness and our motivation to meet new people, make connections, and create our own "social network." My generation is compassionate for other people, and this idea should not be underestimated just because we like to connect with others using a medium that is different from the ones used in the generations preceding ours.

It is vital to recognize that there is a delicate balance between over-usage of technology and complete disconnection from society. Sometimes, it's really important to put down the phone and be present in a moment. There are feelings and memories that a phone will never be able to capture, no matter how perfect the filter or the caption that is put on Instagram. But on the other hand, social media sites, instant messaging programs, and other forms of digital connection can be invaluable means of networking with others. In a society that is becoming increasingly globally connected, sometimes the best thing to do is plug in.