Are we using technology to elevate our lives or to escape from them?
- Elise Quevedo
- Apr 6
- 2 min read
Scrolling through my feed a few days ago, I noticed some content tagged with RawDogging. Let me explain if you missed this trend when it first made waves last year. It refers to traveling without using technology, with no maps, translation apps, or curated playlists, just a person, the world, and the unknown. This trend has a few variations, but the essence is the same.
It might sound edgy at first, but isn't that how travel used to be? We walked around, got lost, asked for directions, joked, and gained knowledge.
Before contemporary technology took over, many of us lived that pure, unfiltered existence; it wasn't a fad. How, then, did something so fundamental turn into a novelty? Why has it become a countercultural act to simply be in the moment?
I reflected on how far we’ve come and what we may be leaving behind in the process. Technology has woven itself so tightly into the fabric of our daily existence that the idea of experiencing the world without it now garners hashtags and headlines. What used to be instinctual is now seen as radical. And that should give us pause.
Let me be clear, I love technology. I work in it, advocate for it, and believe in its transformative power. But I also believe in balance. This article is just a reminder to step back once in a while.
Those who know me behind the scenes know how traditional I am in certain areas and that no amount of technology will ever replace me in believing in that balance.
Because while we may be building smarter devices, if we aren’t careful, we risk becoming more disconnected from ourselves and each other in the process.
The full article was posted in the publication "Tomorrow's Affairs" on April 5th, 2025
