Negotiating Life Rhythms in Accelerated China–A Case Study of the ‘Anti-Social Clock’ Online Group

While China’s path to modernity has been marked by an extraordinarily condensed timeframe, the lived experiences of time among Chinese individuals have been underexplored. Based on netnographic findings, this article explores how members of the ‘Anti-Social Clock’ online group attempt to assert control over their biographical time and carve out personalized life rhythms through strategies like ‘levelling up’, ‘going abroad’ and ‘slowing down’. Illustrating the pivotal role of time in the pursuit of autonomy in China’s hybrid socialist-neoliberal context, this study enriches the understanding of the temporal dimensions of individualization. Situating its exploration within China’s economic slowdown, this study positions individuals’ temporal experiences within broader discussions of acceleration and precarization, highlighting the challenges faced by individuals in a rapidly transforming China.