The Internet as an everyday space: a sociological analysis

Abstract

Background. Today, the internet has ceased to be simply a virtual environment and has become an integral part of everyday life. All key social processes occur in digital media. The purpose of this article is to analyze the internet as an everyday space and ex-plore the development of social practices among today’s youth in the digital environment. Materials and methods. The theoretical basis of the study is formed by the concepts of A. Schütz, I. Hoffmann, P. Bourdieu and E. Giddens. The empirical base consists of the materials of the author’s sociological study “The Role of Digital Media in the Formation of Value Attitudes of Modern Youth” (questionnaire survey of students of Penza State University, n = 426; June 2025), aimed at identifying the time of presence in digital media, emotional reactions to the lack of access and solving the problem of digital addiction. Results. It was found that almost 2/3 of respondents spend 3 to 5 or more hours daily in digital media. Half (50.5 %) experience discomfort when there is no access to the network, while more than 60 % recognize digital addiction as a serious social problem. A gap was identified between the awareness of the risks of addiction and actual actions to self-regulate their digital presence. Conclusions. Young people’s digital daily lives are characterized by a pronounced contradiction: on the one hand, routine online presence provides comfort and security, while on the other, it generates anxiety when the internet is disconnected and communication is disrupted. Therefore, it is essential to develop digital literacy in young people and a critical attitude toward their own digital behavior.