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Comment by camillomiller | Hacker News Reader

I’ve been around Digital Nomads for a long time and I’ve been working digitally and remotely for periods of time most of my life.

The sense of eradication Nomads are looking for can bite you back quite bad. This is something seldom discussed in DN circles, especially by hyper-positive (or toxic positive) digital Bromads of the “I dropship therefore I’m an Internet Entrepreneur” variety. Digital Nomadism is also very often a form of postcolonial and Western privilege. A lot of DN-targeted content focuses on the individual radical choice of going against the typical societal expectations (settle down, get a house, own stuff). What they mostly miss is how this choice is made possible by the inequalities between the West and the rest of the world.

That said, I still regard Digital Nomadism as a positive movement that could benefit from a bit more self-criticism.

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I suspect in the next 5-10 years there's going to be a big backlash against people from western countries exploiting their economic privilege by living in developing countries.

I've lived in various mostly developing countries for the past 7 years, and I'm not one to get hung up on the "white privalege" that's currently talked about in the west, but it is hard not to feel guilty at times at the tremendous advantages I have with a western salary and background while living here. And that's before even considering the rampant fetishization of white men in some countries that results in endless dating opportunities. It doesn't seem far removed from the colonial past.

This. Tbh I think most Nomads would be glad to adhere to some form of "nomadic" taxation system, contributing to the communities they're visiting. This would require a massive coordination between so many different countries with different interests. I don't think we'll achieve anything like this in our lifetimes.

> I suspect in the next 5-10 years there's going to be a big backlash against people from western countries exploiting their economic privilege by living in developing countries.

What kind of backlash are you thinking of? When I think of a digital nomad, I'm thinking of a rich white kid spending their money in a holiday destination year round.

This. I don't think they are seeing as taking advantage of something. I am pretty sure they are seen as tourists.

Yes, the locals who work in industries that directly benefit from the influx of foreign spending love it. The criticism will come from a few directions I think:

1. The same people who are highly concerned about economic inequality and "social justice" within western countries today.

2. Locals of developing countries who do no benefit from the foreign spending or are even hurt by it (e.g., middle or upper class locals who lose their relatively privaleged status to foreigners).

3. Local men who see foreigners as "stealing" their women.

4. Governments trying to secure tax revenue of those dodging.

It's international gentrification isn't it? Replacing facilities that locals would use with Western style overpriced apartment rentals, overpriced coffee, and overpriced, insufficiently spicy food.

Some digital nomads chafe at being charged "farang prices"(foreigner's prices) but the alternative is that locals are priced out.

Rent, property and living prices being adjusted to the purchasing power of the western visitors driving the original low income population away from whichever region gets more popular.

Its similar to what I call hipsterization. Rich and privileged persons moving to an undeveloped area they deem cool, fancy cafes are opened and real state prices skyrocket.

FYI, hipsterization is called "gentrification" by most people talking about the phenomenon of original communities being displaced by an influx of wealthier workers (and they are, by and large, hipsters in the areas where I've seen it first hand)

Its not always a phenomenon anymore, afaik it's a known tactic for developers now

Isn't it more rich kid working in a country, possibly very successful, without paying local taxes?

Without paying local income tax. Local sales tax (if any) is still being paid.

I've been to Thailand and Singapore and I don't know what you mean about fetishization. If anything it was embarrassing being white and was pleasant when you were ignored.

>Digital Nomadism is also very often a form of postcolonial and Western privilege. A lot of DN-targeted content focuses on the individual radical choice of going against the typical societal expectations (settle down, get a house, own stuff). What they mostly miss is how this choice is made possible by the inequalities between the West and the rest of the world.

It's something that came about as a result of domestic inequalities. Digital Nomads wouldnt be anywhere near as common if property/rents werent sky high back home.

It feels a bit wrong to emphasize privilege for things that also come about as a lack of privilege.

> Digital Nomads wouldnt be anywhere near as common if property/rents werent sky high back home.

The vast majority of digital nomads I’ve seen absolutely /do not/ have money problems. They’re all really well-off with good safety nets.

Moreover, potential lack of privilege in their home countries is not really comparable to the massive privileges that come with this kind of nomadism.

I'm not saying that they all cant afford housing but that given the relative costs digital nomading seems like the better option.

I did it in my 20s with a view to avoiding inner city rents. Probably with inflation adjusted 1950s property and flight costs I would not have done it.

I did the big house, three cars, long crappy commutes in traffic, and no visible nature other than manicured lawns. No matter how much nice stuff I put into my house, or how nice my car was (I _did_ love my enormous Lexus!), it wasn't satisfying.

For me, it was less about "going against" and more about "escaping from".

Of course we have Western privilege. But when I travel, I'm not being an ass and throwing money as I step on locals. I meet locals, eat at local places (as well as touristy/western). From my experience, it seems my presence is welcomed and appreciated. My Western privilege is providing additional income and opportunities for locals. I also avoid the obnoxious DN-bros, because in general I dislike any bro-culture (or overt superiority complex people).

Being a digital nomad is not that hard as to be unattainable for non-western people. Well, it depends what you consider "the West" to be.

> can bite you back quite bad

Curious to hear what you mean by that?

Ask any digital nomads, and if they're not "bromads" they'll be usually ok to admit that they've experienced - at least at one point - a specific form of depression, mostly due to having to deal with all that comes with a self-imposed nomadic life (fleeting in-person relationships, lack of a stable community, lack of feeling "rooted", finding out how hard it becomes when you have to deal with serious health issues, and so on).

On the other hand, many expats I know are more impressed with overseas health care compared to the reputation of it back home.

Can you share some specific places you've heard good things on?

Maybe too specific to be helpful, but I’ve heard France is a good place to pass a kidney stone, and India is a good place to recover from tropical illnesses.

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