After spending several weeks home, I have had a realization that is long overdue. Maybe it is because I've reached a point where I consider it okay not to have a phone glued to my hip 24/7, but I truly believe our whole world, especially our generation, is too involved with technology.

After watching the video "Technology is Destroying the Quality of Human Interaction," I gained a new perspective on how much time I have spent on my phone, computer and TV the past several years. It's absolutely ridiculous! I look around and see a group of friends hanging out and every single person has their cell phone out texting or playing some game on an app. As old-fashioned as it sounds, what happened to talking to one another? If you really think about it, when you're texting someone on your phone while you're with someone, it's kind of like saying you'd rather be somewhere else with someone else. We live in a world where it's normal to text people all day every day, with no reasoning besides the excuse "we're bored." 

My main concern for kids even 10 years younger than me is that their childhood will be negatively impacted. My childhood was filled with playing games outside with my friends and playing board games and make-believe, probably because cell phones and such were not yet super popular. But how can kids nowadays do this when they can't put down their phones, iTouches or iPads for five minutes? 

It's even become a huge plus if you're tech-savvy when applying for jobs. There are departments entirely dedicated to a company's social media sites — something that definitely did not exist even 10 years ago. It just goes to show how prevalent social media and technology has become in all of our lives.

Okay ... so maybe that doesn't sound terrible — more jobs for more people. However, people (preteens and teenagers especially) have become so consumed with TV, computers, cell phones and iPads, they have begun to forget how to communicate. Suddenly, things such as calling someone to talk on the phone or writing a letter has become outdated and uncommon and instead, replaced with texting and addicting apps. We live in a generation where first graders have cell phones and tablets, and if you don't have an iPhone, Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, you're an outcast.

Lastly, I personally believe that all social media and technology does is cause problems that we would have never had several years ago. Cyber bullying has become an unfortunately common thing because bullies can hide behind anonymous usernames and a computer screen or phone. In addition, people read into text messages too deeply — but how can you not? Not being with the person you're communicating with makes it incredibly easy for messages to be misinterpreted, creating unnecessary arguments. Furthermore, Snapchat best friends and Tweets can easily end relationships and friendships, which is sad, but kind of inevitable these days. 

Overall, I know social media and technology has bettered our lives by giving us entertainment. However, it can only enrich our lives up to a certain point. It's important to remember that face-to-face communication and spending time with people without technology is really important, and that we need to take a break from all of it once in a while and go outside or do something active. 

So next time you're "bored," call someone up and hang out with them — I mean reeeeeally hang out with them. Leave the phones in your coats and do something together — for in years to come, I promise one day you will look back and remember all the fun times you had, not all the days you spent lying on the couch texting and watching TV.