The temporal identity work of digitally connected migrants: A study of young Syrian migrants in Sweden

This study examines how the social media practices of acculturating migrants are integral to their temporal identity work and experiences of self and belonging. Based on 30 interviews with Syrian migrants who arrived in Sweden between 2015 and 2017, our analysis identifies three temporal identity practices: restoring lifelines, adapting to dual timelines, and compartmentalizing life and self. Migrants use social media to sustain continuity with their past, navigate between cultural timelines, and curate distinct digital personas for different audiences. These practices help them cope with temporal dislocation and experiment with new forms of self-expression, but they also generate feelings of inauthenticity and guilt. Beyond the migrant context, the study contributes to research on digital identity work by moving beyond platform-centric perspectives and showing how multiple, lived temporalities are reproduced and experienced in everyday life, both on- and offline. It also extends research on identity fragmentation by demonstrating that fragmentation arises not only from conflicting norms and self-presentations across platforms and time, but also from temporal disjunctions such as unsynchronized rhythms, conflicting time orientations, and fragmented timelines. This broader view is crucial for understanding the conditions and consequences of temporal identity work in today’s fast-moving and fragmented social environments.