Unplug Week Encourages Campus Community to Reconnect Beyond the Screen
The digital wellness initiative returns Sept. 28 through Oct. 3.
The College of Charleston is hosting its bi-annual Unplug Week from Sept. 28 through Oct. 3, a campus-wide digital wellness initiative designed to give students, faculty and staff intentional opportunities to step away from their screens and reconnect with the people, activities and the physical world around them.
A Week of Tech-Free and Tech-Light Experiences
Unplug Week will feature a variety of opportunities for the campus community to engage in life beyond their devices, including:
- Tech-free and tech-light classes
- Outdoor activities
- Hands-on experiences
- Meditation sessions
- Cooking classes
- Game nights
- Improv programming
- Other analog activities across campus
Building Healthier Relationships with Technology
“Unplugging isn’t about pretending technology doesn’t have a place in our lives,” says Kelley Cours Anderson, a College of Charleston marketing professor and creator of Unplug Week.
“It’s about being more intentional about when we use technology and when we choose not to. We want to give our campus community opportunities to experience what happens when we create space for conversation, creativity, movement and connection without a screen.”
Anderson, who also serves as an advisor for the Global Day of Unplugging, said the lessons from that work extend beyond social media professionals to the broader challenge of establishing boundaries in a culture where constant connectivity has become the norm.
Documentary Screening Explores the Attention Economy
As part of the broader conversation about technology and attention, the College will host a screening of Your Attention Please on Thursday, Oct. 8.
Boston-based filmmaker Sara Robin will visit campus for the event, which will include a screening of the documentary followed by a discussion and Q&A with students and attendees.
The film examines:
- The growing pushback against the attention economy
- The effects of social media on childhood
- Technology’s impact on mental health
- The influence of digital platforms on human connection
The screening is co-sponsored by the College’s Civility Initiative and is free and open to the public.
Digital Wellness as an Ongoing Campus Commitment
Unplug Week is part of a broader CofC effort to make digital wellness an ongoing part of campus life rather than a one-time conversation.
By encouraging students, faculty and staff to experiment with tech-free and tech-light experiences, the College aims to explore practical ways to build greater intentionality around technology use while continuing to benefit from the advantages technology provides.
