Let’s all be honest. Snapchat is easily one our favorite and most opened apps. Watching my friends' stories is a perfect way for me to stay in the loop with what everyone is doing over the long summer break when college friends can seem so far away. On top of that, it’s a convenient, entertaining way to have conversations, doodle and even video chat.

Snapchat keeps updating its app in what seems like a never ending user-interface change. From the addition of the Discovery icon, featuring coverage from Cosmopolitan and Comedy Central (to name a few), to the live stories that typically feature cities around the world and popular global events, everyone seems to be in an uproar.

With the most recent update, the Discovery and Live tabs are brought front and center, without the ability to hide or ignore them. As if this was the end of the world, people are enraged and are endlessly criticizing the app.

What most people fail to realize is what these new features offer to us. Think about it for a second. We are the first people in the world to have an insider view into a new city we might not know anything about from the comfort of our phone. Not only are the live stories typically a collage of beautiful and eclectic photos and videos, but they present us with an eye-level, personal look at the daily happenings around the world from teens and young adults just like us.

I used to resent the Live tab just as others do. It wasn't until this current Ramadan season and the live story of Eid al-Fitr, or the Breaking of the Fast, when I started to actually recognize the sociological wonder that Snapchat is providing.

On July 17, 2015, the Eid al-Fitr live story featured the traditions of Muslims in Jakarta, Riyadh and Dubai, all celebrating the end of Ramadan. As I watched, young kids the same age as me were indirectly giving me a personal tour of what it’s like to live in those countries and practice the Islamic faith. For once, the Islamic faith was being portrayed raw and accurately, unlike the stereotypical news stories you hear endlessly about ISIS and all of the religious battling that consumes the world. No, in a 260-second Snapchat story, I was able to see kids like me living their normal life, halfway across the globe.

Not only is Snapchat providing an incredible way for people to learn about new cultures and ideas, it’s showing the world how similar we all are. What isn't exciting about that? If Snapchat has done anything right, it’s the way it uses its live coverage to put stereotypes to shame and offer insight into cultures unlike our own.

Snapchat is not perfect, but I see the value in something like this as just the beginning in creating a more global generation. We have the resources to connect to anyone now. When people around the world are given a face and some context, it makes it a lot harder to hate any group of people we only ever had blurry ideas about.

Just imagine all of the possibilities Snapchat could provide in the future. For example, what if you could link up with someone in Jakarta and send snaps to each other from across the globe, sharing their story on a more intimate level, commenting on how exciting Eid al-Fitr looks? I think the world has been longing to connect and understand each other for our entire human history. We have that opportunity now, right in our phones! The next time you hate on Snapchat, consider watching a couple seconds of that live story and maybe you’ll learn a thing or two.