Gen Z has a love affair with digital nomadism

Is the grass really greener?

Welcome to the latest edition of The Gen Zer. This week’s newsletter delves into Gen Z's continued obsession with digital nomadism and quitting traditional corporate pathways.

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I’d be lying if I said I don’t fantasise about quitting my corporate job at least once a day. It’s February. It’s cold. It’s wet. It’s dark. None of these details amount to a pleasant morning commute. And as my face presses into the stuffy armpit of a fellow traveller, tube doors closing around a huddle of damp passengers, I question whether this life is for me.

I know I’m not alone. A sunny beach has been daydream fodder for office workers since time immemorial. But recently something has shifted. As it turns out, Gen Z are taking things a step further than their mopey predecessors, and making those daydreams a reality.

Thousands of young people (at least according to their social media) are choosing to dip out of the corporate rate race in favour of self-employment or, even better, digital nomadism. Since COVID-19 forever changed the way we approach employment, the trend of remote work has continued to grow – despite calls to ‘return to the office’.

According to Forbes, 17.3 million American workers currently describe themselves as ‘digital nomads’, (a.k.a, employees with no fixed place of work). That’s a 131% increase since the start of the pandemic.

And it seems Gen Z are at the helm of this shift. Who can blame them, either. Having grown up online, young people are well attuned to the financial offerings of digital spaces and how to utilise them. Many entered the workforce remotely, having finished university at the height of lockdown.

With more and more twenty-somethings sharing their experience of digital nomadism online, the perks feel like a no-brainer. Travel whenever you please, swap dingy offices for beach-side cafes, and become the captain of your own schedule.

It certainly seems like a better work-life balance. Gen Z are a generation increasingly concerned with wellness – both physical and mental. They’re ditching booze for kombucha and nightclubs for saunas, so it’s hardly a surprise that integrating work with personal interests and travel aspirations has become the lifestyle du jour.

There are other factors driving this mass office exodus, too. COVID-19 disproportionately impacted Gen Z at a time when many would have been moving away to university or leaving home for the first time. A report by Forbes found that 53% of young people reported feelings of loneliness and 52% expressed feelings of failure in achieving their life goals following the pandemic.

Remote work and travel offer a way to combat this isolation with a renewed sense of purpose and excitement, making up for years spent stuck at home and away from peers.

Add to that a crumbling economy and a rising cost of living, which have made life for young people in major cities like London exceedingly difficult, it’s no wonder loads of us are headed for the departure lounge.

If major corporations are asking us to return to the office at least three days a week, then opportunities for career growth become concentrated within economic hubs like London, Bristol and Manchester. For those that can’t afford the lifestyles these cities offer (spoiler, that’s anyone earning under £50k per year) it’s not long before corporate life becomes a depressing cycle of stress, debt, and pot noodle dinners.

So when social media is awash with influencers showcasing their sun-soaked workdays, it’s tempting to believe happiness really does lie on the other side of a plane ticket.

But that doesn’t mean the reality is always as glamorous. While destinations like Lisbon and Bali have become hubs for remote workers, the influx of well-off foreigners has driven up housing costs and created challenges for local residents.

This is at odds with Gen Z’s purported commitment to sustainability and social impact, with one appeal of remote work being its ostensible benefits for the planet (like a reduced carbon footprint in the absence of a daily commute, and the flexibility to engage in volunteer work or support local communities abroad).

It’s also worth that though you’re sitting alone at a sunny beach bar, you’re still alone. If remote work left you feeling isolated in the UK, that feeling won’t necessarily disappear when you set foot on foreign soil. In fact, unfamiliar settings can leave many digital nomads without a stable community, while the need to adapt to new environments and cultures may take a toll on mental wellbeing.

As much as it pains me to say it, the stability and benefits of traditional employment do provide a safety net we often take for granted. Freelance work certainly has its perks, don’t get me wrong. But it also leaves workers vulnerable to delayed payments, unpredictable employment, and a lack of health insurance or other long-term support like a pension.

This leads us on to the elephant in the room. Digital nomad lifestyles are – in many cases – reserved for the privileged among us; those who can afford to take the risk of quitting their 9-5 and book a one-way plane ticket to the other side of the world.

Of course people from all backgrounds are taking the plunge, but it certainly makes it easier to throw caution to the wind if you have family and friends to fall back on.

Those who’ve chosen to share their abandonment of corporate life online open themselves up to these questions. TikTok user Poppy, for example, discussed the mixed reactions from peers when quitting her full time job.

‘People’s reactions have been interesting. I [think] especially at my age when you say you’re going to ‘do your own thing’ people get confused by it.’

But comments beneath Poppy’s video are quick to call out the privilege that potentially enables these life-changing decisions.

‘Do you think most people think it’s weird as generally you need to be in quite a comfortable position of privilege to be able to do so? Most people need financial stability,’ one user writes.

Poppy’s response is as telling as it is well intentioned. ‘My logic’ she tells her followers, ‘is I might as well do it now whilst I have very little financial commitments. [...] To me it makes the most sense.’

I’d hazard a guess that the financial commitments Poppy refers to are a mortgage and children. But it’s also worth noting that many young people can’t depend on their parents for any support, and in some cases even have to provide for their families themselves.

That isn’t to say, however, that young people like Poppy aren’t taking control of their lives in brave and bold new ways. It’s undeniable that Gen Z is prioritising mental well-being and rejecting the notion of life as a relentless rat race.

Challenging conventional definitions of success, seeking autonomy, and striving for a life that’s rich in experiences rather than possessions seem to be the binding factor amongst most of today’s digital nomads. And for all the potential pitfalls, these rewards outweigh the risks.

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Gen Z around the Web

The latest stories in youth culture and changing trends…

Is it time to make introversion uncool again?

By now we’re well aware that Gen Z are generation ‘stay-at-home’. A large number of young people are exploring sobriety, and run clubs have become the new social hubs. But after years of prioritising wellbeing and introversion, Dazed’s Serena Smith asks whether it’s time we start going out again. With social media glamorising homebody lifestyles, face-to-face interaction is taking a hit. And what happens if all of us start rejecting the notion of a ‘social life’?

Return of Bridget Jones taps into 90s trend as Gen Z looks to a ‘simpler’ time

Bridget’s back. And so is Gen Z’s dream of a pre-social media era. This piece looks at the growing nostalgia for the Britpop decade, immortalised by legendary films like Notting Hill and Bridget Jones – the latter of which returns to screens next week for a final installment. While our penchant for the fashion and frivolities of the 90s has been well documented, Esther Addley considers how these trends are shaping Gen Z’s relationship to history, arguing that many young people are looking back, through rose tinted glasses, at a time ostensibly absent of’ the economic and societal pressures facing them today.

Gen Z seeks safety above all else as the generation grows up amid constant crisis and existential threat

While the news cycle might tell of constant division, war, and inflammatory political dynamics, it seems Gen Z are prioritising ‘being kind’ over everything else. In an eye-opening discussion of social psychology, Yalda Y. Uhls argues that growing up amid endless conflict has pushed today’s younger generation the opposite way. According to a recent survey, the main concern amongst Gen Z was the question of safety. This piece asks why Gen Z feels so vulnerable, and how heartbreaking statistics like these might shape the way we approach generations to come.

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That’s all for this week! Make sure to subscribe for the latest on Gen Z and youth culture, and check out The Common Thred for a weekly roundup of the latest news, trends and thought pieces.

All the best,
Flo Bellinger

Thred Media