The project

This research project is led by Mari Toivanen and it examines the rising form of life-style mobility called digital nomadism. Digital nomadism has come about as a result of technological advancements and the increased free movement (of some). Although it is often considered a temporary life-stage, concerning mainly young adults, digital nomadism is rapidly becoming more common with people increasingly being able to work remotely. One major reason for this is the digitalisation of work, meaning that that some professions have become more and more location-independent. This project analyses digital nomads’ experiences and perceptions concerning mobility as a life-style and how they construct social relations, family life, identity and leisure on the move.

Also, this life-style renders visible how our understanding of “desirable” life in contemporary societies is often constructed on the premise of being sedentary, in other words, on the basis of living in one place. Put bluntly, this means that the way we organise professional and social lives is based largely on the idea of living and working in one place, and often in one country. One of the main questions in this project is to ask: how can states accommodate and better consider mobile life-styles? Hence, the project sheds light to the intersections between mobility, work and digitalisation in the ever-globalising world. The project’s results will be based on data that consists of interviews and observation collected in several countries, as well as online data and social media material.

The project is Academy of Finland-funded project (Academy Research Fellow project), which is based at the Swedish School of Social Science, University of Helsinki. The project’s duration is five years (2020-2025).

Here’s a short video about the main themes tackled in this project 🙂