Digital Nomad Culture: A Study of Online Digital Nomad Communities

Catherine Claire Batstone

Studenteropgave: Kandidatafhandlinger

Abstract

As technology evolves, so does the way we live, interact and work. The recent years have seen the development of a movement that perfectly encapsulates this: “Digital Nomadism”. A community of young professionals have opted out of the everyday rat race in the ultimate quest for freedom in work and leisure. Location-independent, they perform their jobs in a remote capacity, relying on technology and enjoying endless travel. Whilst this could seem like a perfect scenario, this lifestyle does not come without its own set of challenges. Online communities on social media networks have emerged as a means to connect these nomads as they wander around the globe. This thesis takes an explorative approach to generate insights about the values and practices of digital nomads – i.e. their culture – through a study of an online digital nomad community. The selected community is the Female Digital Nomads community on Facebook. The overarching aim is to understand how online communities support the development of digital nomad culture. A combination of netnography, literature search and questionnaires is used to analyze all aspects of the community: from the motivations to join, the composing physical and psychological elements, how members engage and connect, and what value they attribute to the community. Findings reveal that it is ultimately intellectual, cultural and social value that fuel the existence of this community. In turn, it supports the development of digital nomad culture in multiple ways. By providing a platform where remote work is advertised and recruitment can take place, it develops the digital nomad economy, thus growing the movement. Furthermore, the community offers a space where female digital nomads can encourage each other and share their successes – often unconsciously advocating the culture. This helps motivate women across the world to feel positive about the Digital Nomad movement, and even ascribe to the lifestyle if they do not yet pursue it. The results are the expansion of the digital nomad movement, and consequently, the proliferation of its culture. The explosive growth of this cultural phenomenon has many business and social implications. Immediate academic attention is required as the movement rapidly evolves, with the potential of becoming the “future of work”.

UddannelserCand.ling.merc Erhvervssprog og International Erhvervskommunikation (Interkulturel Marketing), (Kandidatuddannelse) Afsluttende afhandling
SprogEngelsk
Udgivelsesdato2020
Antal sider140
VejledereLiana Razmerita