The Development of the Digital Nomad During the Course of the Pandemic : The digital nomad workforce, a study looking into the power of digital tools allowing people to work remotely

Abstract: Due to the pandemic, along with the growth of current technology, working remotely is becoming more feasible. As a result digital nomadism has become a viable alternative as a career. The emerging literature on digital nomadism focuses mainly on lifestyle descriptions, with less attention given to potentially understand digital nomads and their needs (Wang et al. 2018). In this research the author will apply uses and gratification theory to describe the gratifications that motivates digital nomads and their means of communication combined with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to determine if the needs of digital nomads have changed during the course of the pandemic. The aim of this thesis is to provide terminological and philosophical insights on the idea of digital nomads and their future.   Since the start of the pandemic the discussions whether remote work is the future has been fluctuating to say the least. Big companies have introduced a “work from anywhere” model meaning that their employees will have the possibility to choose if they want to be remote after the pandemic (CNBC, 2021). Prior to this, digital nomads were already fully remote. This could be the ideal time and subject to study to gain further understanding if the digital nomad phenomenon has changed. Moreover, if there has been an increase or decrease in interest regarding a remote future while aiming to understand the future remote workforce.