%A Hanna Heicks
%T At home in the world? How mobility shapes digital nomads’ perceptions of home
%L theses_frw4263
%X Advancements in transportation and information and communication technologies facilitated the increasing dimensions of physical and virtual mobility. With the subsequent rise of a new approach to mobility, the new mobilities paradigm developed within which new mobile lifestyles, such as digital nomadism, emerged, and prevailing sedentary notions of home became inadequate. Research on the relationship between these new mobile lifestyles and changing perceptions of home has not been exhaustive in considering digital nomads’ unique lifestyle choices and bridging global and place-based notions of home. This research investigates how digital nomads’ perceptions of home are shaped by their mobile lifestyles, considering their pursuit of home, the role of location choice and home-making strategies. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with digital nomads showed individuals’ development of a self-constructed perception of home embodied through feelings provoked by location-specific characteristics, facilities, home-making strategies, and social relationships. Such feelings co-exist with individuals’ current predominant desire for mobility but may be spatially situated in the future. This research highlights digital nomads’ self-constructed feeling-based perceptions of home, touching upon past, present and future lifestyle choices.
%D 2023