There is no denying that advances in modern technology have influenced every spectrum of the world. From forwarding medical and scientific progression to enhancing the speed and quality of communication, almost every aspect of our daily lives is somehow modified by technological forces. Undoubtedly, when used respectfully and for selfless purposes, technology has cured diseases and has proven to be a beneficial power, easing the lives of millions. However, when manipulated for narcissistic pursuits, technology has manifested itself as an agent of corruption, detrimentally infiltrating the ways we think, speak, behave, and live.

When we allow ourselves to absorb the evidence suggested by recent studies that the average 13-year-old checks his/her Instagram feed at least 100 times per day, we are left with immense feelings of unsettlement.

Nonetheless, when we play devil's advocate, we know that our judgments are exceedingly hypocritical, because in 2016, no man or woman regardless of age is safe from the FOMO epidemic. We are so terrified, troubled, and haunted by the Fear Of Missing Out, that, ironically, in order to avoid falling victim to this social media driven trend, we are missing out on everything happening right before us in real life, and that alone is scarier than any of us can fully comprehend.

A typical person's reality primarily consists of a series of relationships. Whether it be familial, friendly, romantic, etc., we are all connected and bound by our associations with other members of the human race. Apart from family, one of the more important genres of relationships are romantically oriented. Who we choose to spend the remainder of our lives with and how we encounter and interact with potential spouses is an overwhelmingly significant human experience, but, no less, it is one that has been adversely altered by the exploitation of technology.

Technology is to blame for several issues we face in relationships that wouldn't have even been a factor nor existed in our grandparents' generation. We are so passionately angered when the guy we like "likes" another girl's Instagram picture, or incessantly Snapchats someone other than us that we insist on having all of their passwords to keep tabs on what they are doing every second of every day. And then, we get irrationally upset when the person we like isn't glued to their phone 24/7. He took 5 minutes to text me back when we can see on Instagram that he's actively liking peoples pictures, so he must have his phone! That a**hole. I'll give it a few hours before I respond to his "what's up?" because he needs to know it isn't okay for him to not be in constant communication with me. And then, in order to validate our rage, we text our best friend group chat screenshots with time stamps, and they confirm our right to be heated.

We care more about what other people think of our relationships that we cannot even be bothered to fight hard to keep it for our own sakes of happiness. We spend dinner conversations glued to our phones editing the picture we just took with the guys we like, staking our claims on social media, that we rarely even have the chance to talk to him and get to know him. Flirting is defined not by how many roses we receive, but by the length of our Snapchat streaks. Love is reflected not by genuine emotions, but by who gave the other a more expensive gift. And instead of the guy we're interested in knocking on the door prior to dates, introducing himself to our parents and opening the car door for us, all we get is a two-word text - if we're lucky - saying "come out," or "I'm here." Chivalry is dead, and technology pulled the trigger.

As much as we don't want to admit it, our friendships and relations with acquaintances have also not been untouched by technology. We have no issue commenting on status' and liking new profile pictures, but when we see someone we have mutual friends with or know personally casually walking by us in the hallways, we become genuinely uncomfortable. And rather than making eye contact, waving hello, or even extending a simple smile, we immediately change our focus to the screens of our phones, and continue to reopen the app we had just closed, and proceed to reload a feed that has, to no one's surprised, been flooded by an array of new posts since the last time you checked it only minutes before.

But then again, what's the point in getting to know new people and instigating new friendships when everything we could ever possibly want to know about another person is all publicly available online? What am I supposed to talk to you about when I already know where you traveled last summer, what's your favorite movie, the fact that you've been seeing your boyfriend for seven months, your mom just got remarried, and you recently adopted another puppy?

These days, there is nothing left to the imagination, no piece of information about our lives left a mystery, and we take advantage of this fact by stalking each other ruthlessly and picking apart everything and anything we can about each other to use as ammunition in seemingly pointless Twitter wars. And then we text all of our friends to "favorite" our Tweets, because haven't you heard? The one with the most likes, favorites, comments and attention wins first place.

Students ranging from middle school to college wear their procrastinatory tendencies on their sleeves like a badge of honor, proudly parading their carelessness and taking authentic pride in the fact that they were too busy scrolling through Twitter while binge watching Grey's Anatomy to put forth any sincere effort on the homework assignment that they have known about for weeks, if not months.

But hey, what's the use in trying when all the answers have already been posted on another student's Quizlet account? What's the use in thinking when dictionary.com and Google can think for us? And if you're still not convinced that technology has truly permeated the most basic foundation of our lives, the words "twerk" and "selfie" have been added to the dictionary.

People don't know as much as they should or as much as they used to about politics, the environment, and international relations, not they don't particularly care enough to learn. We wrap our minds around biased sources without truly attempting to learn the information for ourselves. When we solely rely on what others are Tweeting and Tumblring about, how are we supposed to uncover the truth, and learn about what is affecting the world around us?

According to a recent study conducted by Project Information Literacy, approximately 9% of students actually use their school's library for purposes of research, which they truthfully should be taking advantage of. Instead, they utilize the computers for printing, and do not bother opening a database or perusing the classics. Think about your school. About 18,000 students attend mine. And if 91% aren't using the sources available to them, that means that only 1,620 students are. Just let that sink in.

Technology is making us less cultured, less involved, less interested in art, music, literature, and less inclined to learn about it. Instead, the generation of millennials, my generation, is validating the rumors that we are creatures controlled by virtual realities, consumed by narcissism, obsessed with the prospect of social elevation, and unbothered by mistreating others for our own benefits.

We are possessed by the consequences of not posting a selfie at the ideal hour to obtain the most feedback, tortured by the possibility of receiving less than 50 likes on our Facebook profile pictures, so much so that the fear of missing out has caused us to do just that - miss out on the tangible wonders of the world.