Gen Z grew up very online, but many say they’re tired of constantly reaching for their phones while their attention spans shrink. To combat their distractibility, they’re now learning to sit with boredom — or, as they call it, “rawdogging,” doing nothing. (Unless you want to explain what rawdogging means, maybe don’t send this story to your grandma.)
On TikTok, there are countless videos of teens and 20-somethings sharing their “rawdogging marathon” experiences: Doing nothing, with nary a phone in sight. (Well, unless you count the one filming them.)
Some Gen Z-ers are rawdogging walks (no music or podcasts, and only a phone in your pocket in case of an emergency). Others are really just sitting with their eyes closed for an hour or so with monk-like concentration.
If your attention span is cooked, you’ll try anything once, including doing absolutely nothing, said Ishaan Sharma, who goes by @sexyishaan on TikTok and posted about the trend.
“As a kid, I was able to read an entire book in one sitting. Today, I can barely read 20 pages without wanting to reach for my phone or some other device,” he told HuffPost.
