If you were born anywhere in the time range from 1982 until about 2002, you are a part of the generation known as the “millennials”. This generation includes those who have already completed, or are about to complete kindergarten through senior year of high school, as well as individuals who have entered college and the workforce recently. We, the millennials, are soon going to be taking the place of the baby-boomers as they retire.

Replacing the baby-boomers is a big shoe to fit because they were one of the largest generations the United States has ever seen. Throughout their years there was higher employment ratings, higher economic growth and more production increase, all relatively speaking of course. At the time, the baby-boomers had the largest number of population and could out vote any election they chose to because they had a massive voting age number.

Although the baby-boomers were significantly larger in number than any generation before them, my generation, the “millennials” significantly outnumber the baby-boomer generation before us. This means the power to vote smarter, more powerful, and more serious than ever before. We essentially have the power to shape the globe to however we allow it to take form.

The only problem with this much power?

As rhetorical as that may seem, the answer is plain and simple. Responsibility. The millennials voting percentage in this past presidential election approached numbers close to 20 percent. That is bizarre because the baby-boomers accumulated a percentage ranging close to forty percent. With an overwhelming majority not voting, my generation tends to show the lackluster credibility they have earned. Time and time again the term “millennial” has been used to describe someone as lazy, apathetic or anti-social.

The digital age has changed my generation. Whether it is for good or for bad is yet to be determined. The millennial age, just as other generations before them, has activists, organizations, and politicians, but the difference with this generation is they have smartphones in their hands.

Social media is a powerhouse for spreading news at speeds that seem unfathomable. One person can tweet their political views or a controversial sentence, and if the tweet falls onto the timelines of those who oppose, agree, or just want to argue their stance, the social act can take flame within minutes and the term “going viral” becomes very prevalent. The sad notion about social media this day and age is that individuals stop believing in what they want to believe in, and only trust what the media tells them. Media time and time again has falsified information to lead to more viewers on their websites and shows, and to gain them monetary value without a care in the world of the credibility it is providing to the public.

Don’t get me wrong, social media is a good thing. It provides an environment to express ourselves in many ways, keep up with world news at incredible speeds, and formulate digital topics that we like to discover. The way we use social media is wrong though.

We use social media as a veil from the real world. Used to the saying was “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it all.” Unfortunately, this day and age, anything and everything can be said because an individual can hide behind a screen, username, and applications to disrupt the public and cause turmoil all over the internet. One person can start an uproar on social media outlets such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

The digital age has changed my generation because no longer strive for confrontation with anymore, nor do we want to keep face to face communication either. This is bad for our health and bad for our relationships. However, it is good for technological advancement.

With my generation growing more and more reliant on technology, the outlet for advancement and upgrades is inevitable. We are the next doctors, lawyers, educators, and politicians in the world, and it is up to us use every bit of technology to our advantage.

Connor Baker is a sophomore majoring in business. His column runs biweekly.