“I don’t know if I’d be able to live without my phone.”

We hear this phrase all the time, usually followed by a careful inspection of small cracks in the rectangle that holds all our important numbers, accounts, and photos. But what would actually happen if we couldn't type another emoji again? My generation has been programmed to rely on devices that have made us more efficient and given us advanced levels of work that would have never been possible a decade before. And often we are criticized for our attachment to technology.

I will not deny there is an excessive amount of texting and social media usage, but not all of it is meaningless and antisocial. As I type this, I'm traveling in a packed van without Wi-Fi, but I know that these words will save and be ready to publish by the end of this trip, which makes having technology useful and time efficient. Plus, in a society that is always changing, we have no other choice but to keep up with it through technology.

Older generations are quick to call us obsessive when it comes to our cell phones and tablets. They think we are always listening to music with headphones in, posting on social media, and live-streaming YouTube videos. But what they don't know is that the music is clearing someone’s mind after a long day, the post will put a smile on someone’s face who needs it, and the YouTube video is helping a student study a difficult concept. Yes, there are dumb things that find their way onto our Timelines, but that's not all we pay attention to with our technology. It helps us keep connected to people who are far away; whether we interact to a friend or a business partner, FaceTime, Skype, and other apps become useful when we’re trying to connect to a world that has grown because of technology.

One of the biggest problems older generations have is the excessive use of technology that happens with my generation. If we get a notification, we have to stop everything we’re doing to check it. I was interested to hear that one of the sociology professors at my college asked students to turn off their phones for a couple of days for a class project. It's shocking how many students cannot survive those days without their phone or iPad. Some students even went back to the professor within 24 hours and asked for their phones back.

I’ll be the first to admit, I pull out my phone when I'm waiting somewhere and have nothing better to do, but if I'm in a room of people, I’m going to socialize -- not stare at my phone. I try to distance myself from my phone when I'm out, like keeping it in my coat pocket or purse. Being present to the people around me is more important than who posted the newest Instagram. However, there’s no reason to criticize us for using our cell phones sometimes. Everything is good in moderation.

So here's a challenge: Turn off your cell phone for part of the day. Realize the importance of being in the moment, then go back to Instagram and Facebook with an appreciation of how lucky we are to connect to people who are worlds away. Use that moderation to find the significance in texting your best friend who you don’t see every day or FaceTiming your brother who’s at a different college. Technology can be daunting, but if it's used in a positive way, it can help so many people.