Digital Nomadism and Its Implications for Nation-States, Organizations and Local Communities

Digital nomads are remote workers who travel from one country to another, experiencing different cultures while earning an income that supports their lifestyle. There are about 63 million digital nomads worldwide, according to the World Economic Forum (January 2024). “Digital nomads do not live in the boundaries of the country-state, but live in nation-states,” said Daniel Schlagwein, Professor of Digital Work and Organization at the University of Sydney, who has worked as a “digital nomad” for two years, travelling in 52 countries. At the Sasin Research Seminar, he makes the case for how digital nomadism frees workers from capitalist exploitation, meaningless work, and financial insecurity – but may affect others, such as local communities worldwide, in doing so.“The digital nomad lifestyle is an emancipatory means to an emancipatory end from the nation-state, and digital nomadism gives them financial security, meaningful work, multiple home bases around the world, and fluid proximate futures, while the old system of work is a rule of tyranny, capitalist exploitation causing financial insecurity, meaningless work, constricted location and jurisdiction, and rigid life transactions,” said Professor Schlagwein.  

The Four Mobilities of Digital Nomad Work

Professor Schlagwein advocates for digital nomads, self-employed, and free-agent employees, categorising them into four types of mobility. “If you are a barista in a coffee shop, you cannot choose to do cryptocurrency trading instead of making the next coffee — you are bound to a particular content or task, while digital nomads typically have multiple projects to do than they could take on, always having this long-term skill development mindset,” said Professor Schlagwein. He said digital nomadism represents the four inherent mobilities of digital work: Content-related mobility: “Digital nomads have the ability to move between different strands of work and choose projects to work on (or to turn down) depending on the interest in the content of what they want to work on,” said Professor Schlagwein, adding that they often choose projects not only depending on the payment, but according to what matters to them the most, or who they will work with. Administrative mobility: Digital nomads are often self-employed independent workers, freelancers, or entrepreneurs and are as such their own agents. Temporal mobility: Digital nomads exhibit a high level of temporal mobility, meaning they have a dynamic work schedule that varies based on their schedules, preferences, location, and intended activities. A digital nomad may choose to organise their work in Hawaii so as to be able to go surfing at any time the swell is up. Spatial mobility: Digital nomads also enjoy higher levels of freedom than from the conventional notion of being bound to a particular location. Professor Schlagwein said that digital nomads have fostered a culture of co-working, co-living, and “co-everything” lifestyles. In Georgia, a popular ski resort, Gudauri, offers co-working spaces and opportunities for digital nomads to live and work together while sharing their interests.  

Thai Context: Benefits for Chiang Mai Local Communities

As of August 1, 2024, Thailand offers the Digital Nomad Visa (DTV) for eligible foreigners. This visa is for remote workers, digital nomads, and freelancers who wish to stay in Thailand, as well as for those engaging in activities such as Muay Thai courses, Thai cooking classes, sports training, medical treatment, seminars, and music festivals. The visa also extends to spouses and dependent children of DTV holders. It allows a stay of up to 180 days per visit, is valid for five years, and includes multiple entries, with a visa fee of 10,000 Baht. One of the most popular co-working hubs in Thailand is Chiang Mai. Professor Schlagwein outlines some of the benefits and disadvantages of being a digital nomad in Chiang Mai, based on his team’s case study. Economic contribution: Digital nomads significantly contribute to the local economy by spending on accommodations, co-working spaces, and local services, supporting local businesses, and generating income for the community. Improvement of digital and physical infrastructure: The demand from digital nomads has driven improvements in digital infrastructure, including high-speed internet and co-working spaces, which also benefit residents by enhancing overall connectivity and access. Knowledge transfer: Digital nomads bring diverse skills and international perspectives, fostering knowledge exchange and cultural interactions that can benefit local businesses and the wider community. Increased global visibility: The international reputation of Chiang Mai as a digital nomad hub raises its profile globally, attracting further tourism and investment, which can lead to sustained economic benefit. However, despite the benefits, there are downsides. According to Professor Schlagwein’s research, the rising cost of living and gentrification for local communities in Chiang Mai has led to increased rent and property prices, pushing locals out of affordable housing and exacerbating socio-economic divides. When it comes to their contribution to society, many digital nomads work remotely for foreign companies, which means their economic activity does not directly contribute to local job creation or economic redistribution. There are also cultural clashes and “social bubbles”. Despite its disadvantages, Professor Schlagwein still sees the digital nomad lifestyle as an emancipatory path for workers seeking to break free from the confines of capitalism and tradition, and for developing nations as an emerging contributor to their visitor economies.   References: Jiwasiddi, A., Schlagwein D., Cahalane, M., Cecez-Kecmanovic, D. Leong, C., Ractham, P. (2024) Digital Nomadism as a New Part of the Visitor Economy: The Case of the ‘Digital Nomad Capital’ Chiang Mai, Thailand. Information Systems Journal 34 (5), 1493-1535. Schlagwein, D., Jarrahi, M. H. (2020) The Mobilities of Digital Work: The Case of Digital Nomadism. European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS). Online/Marrakesh, Morocco, Jun 15-17, 2020. Wang, B., Schlagwein, D. Cecez-Kecmanovic, D., Cahalane, M. (2025) ‘Emancipation’ in Digital Nomadism vs in the Nation-State: A Comparative Analysis of Idealtypes. Journal of Business Ethics, 198, 35-68.