Imagine how different our lives would be if the internet didn't exist. For starters, you wouldn't be reading this right now. You would have no choice but to communicate with others by phone, via letter, or in person, as social media wouldn't be available. Chances are, you watch shows or movies via streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, or Hulu. You would instead be forced to watch them on TV or rent them through Redbox or the local video store. Imagine how many people would not be together if it weren't for Internet dating sites like Match.com or eHarmony. (I'm the perfect example of this, as I reacquainted with my now-wife, who I first met in middle school, through MySpace. You would have to make payments by mail, through the phone, or in person. You wouldn't be able to make purchases online. Instead, you'd have to hit up brick-and-mortar stores or buy your stuff through catalogs that come in the mail. It's important to note that were in...

Most of us would agree that this is an exciting time to be alive. It's the digital age -- one governed by such corporate heavyweights as Apple and Samsung. To be sure, technology is the name of the game in the 21st century. Everyone and his brother has a smart phone or tablet. It's simple, quick, and convenient to find whatever it is you want on the internet -- be it a song, movie, or information for a research paper. Still, it seems many of us can't help but reflect on a much simpler time in our lives -- our childhood -- where we took pleasure in the smallest things. From reading a book to playing tag outside with friends, we had little difficulty finding ways to entertain ourselves. It can certainly be argued that technology makes life a whole lot easier. No need to walk to the library to buy a book or do research. No need to tune into the local radio station to listen to a popular song. The internet can facilitate practically anything these days. So why would som...

I don't know if it's just me, but I'm noticing that a lot of my friends have been less active on Facebook these days. Are we getting busier, or is the site's popularity starting to wane? About a year ago, I told some of my closest friends that I predicted the social networking behemoth would eventually go the way of MySpace. It's to be expected of all these sites: They are simply fads. Once something new comes along -- I don't know what that will be but I'm sure Google or another of these huge companies has something in the works -- people gravitate toward it. The same applies to a wealth of consumer products we purchase and use every day -- from clothing to cars. I know a lot of people -- myself among them -- who sometimes feel like their friends go overboard by posting on Facebook the most minute details of their lives on a daily basis, from what they're having for dinner to why they hardly got any sleep last night. We all want to keep in touch, bu...