Disconnecting to Connect
Seeking more togetherness, a campuswide initiative encourages students to put down their phones and pick up a conversation
By Meg Maxwell
In our hyperconnected world, where social media, nonstop news feeds and chat platforms can fuel anxiety, depression and a fear of missing out (FOMO), students at Villanova are embracing an empowering countermovement. JOMO–or the Joy of Missing Out–is a joint initiative by the Office of Health Promotion and Learning Support Services. It builds on a national campaign that encourages students to set healthy digital boundaries so they can cultivate genuine connections and feel less isolated.
Cristina Babyak, MPH, community well-being specialist in Health Promotion, says, “We wanted to create simple, intentional ways for students to take breaks from their phones, without feeling like we were forcing them to.” Learning Specialist Patrice Soares emphasizes that participation in JOMO connects with Villanova’s core values: “This is a way to both take care of yourself and show care for others in your community.”
JOMO’s three main efforts so far have offered opportunities for students to disconnect from their devices and reconnect with themselves and each other.
1. Tech Break Boxes and Conversation Cards
The JOMO initiative has placed simple gray boxes in the South Campus Dining Hall, Student Life offices and other places where students gather. Rather than spending mealtimes staring at devices, students are invited to place their phones in a Tech Break Box and pick up a Conversation Card. The cards list 100 questions–some thoughtful, others just for fun–that students can ask each other to spark conversation.
2. Phone Sleeping Bags
Research shows that as long as phones are in our sight, we’re more likely to pick them up–even when doing so interrupts conversations or work. In 2024, all first-year Wildcats were given a “phone sleeping bag” so they would have a place to tuck their devices when they didn’t want to be disturbed. This year, phone lock boxes are available.
3. Tech Break Workshops and Talk Tips
Members of POWER (Peers Offering Wellness Education and Resources) lead workshops to help students explore their relationships with technology and create goals to decrease screen time. Bube Osaji ’26 CLAS, a POWER community advocate, says, “In public places, we so often use our phones to pacify ourselves or keep us from feeling anxious. But when we’re speaking to someone who has their phone out, it makes us feel that what we’re saying isn’t important, which actually increases anxiety. In workshops, we help students set measurable goals to decrease phone time and to envision what the rest of the semester might look like with those goals in place.” To complement these efforts, the Center for Speaking and Presentation also offers “How to Make Small Talk” sessions to help students build confidence in face-to-face interactions.
Want to try it yourself? Join Villanova’s 8-week digital challenge and discover the joy of disconnecting to connect.
Some examples of the JOMO Conversation Card questions include:
- • When you imagine your happy place, where is it, and what are you doing there?
- • If you could have a superpower for a day, what would you choose?
- • Who in your life has had a bigger impact on you than they probably know?
- • What fictional character seems like they’d make a great friend? Why?
- • If you could time travel, what year would you visit, and what would you do?
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