St. John’s students undergo six-day smartphone ‘tech fast’ in Santa Fe

Students at St. John’s College in Santa Fe staged a student-organized six-day “tech fast,” abstaining from smartphones and internet-connected devices and relying on landlines, chalkboards and in-person communication. The experiment was organized by Mary Claire Fagan, who made typewritten fliers and hosted a kickoff dinner; participants filled out commitment cards with selected exceptions, stored phones in a hard-sided suitcase and used a dorm blackboard to share messages such as “Looking 4 Eliza.” The school’s discussion-based Great Books curriculum, which bans laptops in class and provides dorm landlines, shaped how students tried to replace screen time with conversation, letter-writing and group activities.

Students reported sharper focus but also ran into practical snags: waking without phone alarms required peer wake-up calls, laundry machines and banking relied on smartphone apps, and some students kept phones for jobs or emergencies. Dean Sarah Davis expressed support for the introspective aim of the fast, while the college’s vice president for communications, Carol Carpenter, raised questions about balancing exploration with institutional duties and emergency protocols.

By the end of the week participants were divided on long-term changes. Fagan returned to 307 unread messages and planned to keep her phone out of her room; some students considered switching dorm policies or devices and one student bought a flip phone.

Key Topics

Culture, St. John's College, Santa Fe, Tech Fast, Mary Claire Fagan, Great Books