In the last 30 years, Technology has grown in ways we never could've imagined and has an impact on just about every area of our everyday lives. No generation has felt the impact of the technological advances like this generation. Technology practically runs our lives, with apps for everything imaginable, even some accessible to young children. Each and every member of society, regardless of age, is now connected to the world around us because of technology.

The driving force behind the rapid growth of technology has been the ability to make the internet more accessible. Originally, the internet was designed to just be used for research purposes but slowly made the transition into the powerhouse that it is today.

Due to the wealth of information at our disposal and the speed at which this information can be found, many individuals in today's generation have become reliant on the internet as their sole source of knowledge. While the act of researching via the internet is not a negative thing, the reliance put upon it is.Years ago, people would look to those who studied a topic extensively or someone who at least had a done a substantial amount of research on a topic as "experts" in their field or even just read and research a topic on their own time and develop their own opinion. With the abundance of knowledge on the internet, instead of seeking out knowledge through self-education, asking someone of expertise, or researching for themselves, people will simply use Google or ask Siri. People are no longer learning new information but are relying on their technology to do the work for them.

The argument can be made that by using Google or searching the internet for something should count as research, and it does, but the way most people utilize their technology in their research efforts is the real issue. Most people will google a topic, read the first piece of information they come across and believe that their job is done. No fact checking or any extra effort is put forth and this is a problem.

I don't want to sound like I'm against technology because I'm not. I love all the amazing innovations that are being conceived from great minds all over the world. I honestly couldn't imagine my life without technology, but the reality is that the same aspects that make technology so great, are the same reasons that cause concern.

With so much information at our fingertips, you would think people would use it to enlighten themselves, to learn something new each day, but sadly, that is not the case. Most people elect to spend their time on social media, online shopping or just commenting their lives away on YouTube. Each and every day, there is new information shared online from tons of sources. The world is evolving every day and with new information being available to the public online, there is no reason for people to not keep up. Yes, almost everyone, including myself, is on some form of social media and it is enjoyable, but there is nothing worse than seeing someone so caught up with their virtual lives that they forget to live their real ones.

It seems like every year there is are more distractions online. While important topics are being discussed on various websites, more time is being spent on social media or googling things that have no educational benefit to you. I understand we all have interests and hobbies, but you should never allow yourself to let your personal interests create a blockade on all the valuable information out there for you to digest. The world is going to change whether you like it or not, so don't get left behind.

This generation is blessed with the amazing gift of having information from all over the world in the palm of our hands. Ultimately, you can choose to use this to your advantage or to focus on getting your Instagram followers up, the choice is yours.