Between Screens and Time: Subjective Online Time Perception and Digital Technology Use Among University Students

A growing body of research has attempted to understand the impact of social media platforms and digital technologies on younger generations’ daily lives and everyday experiences. Within this broader research context, previous research has shown that the various uses of the internet have become integrated into everyday life experiences, making digital technologies increasingly embedded in young people's daily routines and affecting domains such as time management, subjective experiences of time, and time perception. Using a comprehensive quantitative design, the current study explored how the continuous use of hyperconnected technologies (especially smartphones) shapes students’ subjective perception of online time and behaviors related to mobile phone use (perceived and excessive use) in students’ daily lives. Extensive questionnaires were completed by 732 undergraduate and postgraduate students. The results show that different patterns of internet use are associated with distinct ways of experiencing and managing everyday time, which in turn relate to variations in perceived and excessive mobile phone use. The findings also show how subjective online time perception contributes to differentiated experiential outcomes, highlighting the role of usage purpose in shaping digital practices. Overall, the findings shed light on experiential mechanisms linking internet use, subjective time perception, and mobile technology practices, contributing to a more nuanced understanding of hyperconnected technologies in students’ daily lives.