Yes, I get it, I spend a lot of time on my phone. So does a good portion of my generation, and we get a lot of crap for it from other generations that came before mine. We use them at the table, when we're sitting in the same room, and even when we're hanging out and playing cards.

No, we're not ignoring each other. The conversation probably hit a lull and so we'll check our phones. It avoids the awkward silence for the moment, and usually it brings up a new topic for the group.

Someone might ask a question that no one knows the answer to or a debate needs to be settled, so I could be on my phone to look something up. I've also used my phone to pull up information in a debate because I knew I could find it in a quick search.

So yes, I'm on my phone.

I also keep just about everything on my phone. My calendar, my emails, my text messages, my phone calls, my games, my photos, my music ... And what I don't keep on there, I can look up. The news, definitions, maps, almost anything is available if I have cell signal.

I can capture moments with my friends that I wouldn't have been able to capture otherwise because I have my phone on me. I can be out shopping and not have to yell across the store because I can just text whoever I'm with or call them.

I can have a private conversation in a room full of people or pass on news without having to tell everyone within earshot because I can text. I don't have to wait until they are alone if I don't want to.

We can play games together on our phones that send us on adventures walking just about anywhere. Pokemon Go has given us that, even if our batteries don't last long. I can still get several kilometers in though while talking and laughing because we were all on our phones.

So yes, I'm on my phone.

It's not something that gets in the way of conversation even if we occasionally get distracted because there is a new notification. That means that sometimes everyone at the table might be looking at their phone for a moment because who knows what that notification could be.

I can still have conversations with my family who is all the way across the country without having to call them, though I still call to hear them speak. It's a great way for me to remember to tell someone something because I don't have to wait until I have the chance to call them most of the time.

So yes, I'm on my phone.

But no, I'm not ignoring my friends or my family. No, I'm not disconnecting myself from the world around me. I can keep in touch, build relationships, and make my life better because of it.

So yes, I'm on my phone, but that's not all there is to it.�