Tenth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

The concept of digital nomadism has driven the rise of the digital nomad community. However, this concept is primarily based on theoretical and cognitive frameworks rooted in Western society and has yet to fully achieve a localized understanding of digital nomads, particularly in Eastern societies. Based on this, this paper adopts the framework of liminality theory to explore the localized practices of young digital nomads in China. The study found that young digital nomads are “betweens” who can be both free (Betwixt) and in (Between). They do not have jobs to support themselves, and they cannot resist the social structural pressure of “running away from home”. They rely on the visibility and convenience of the media to highlight the mobility characteristics of the group, which constitutes the “ structural suspension” of the young digital nomads. Choosing to become a digital nomad is a way and means for individuals to obtain “nearby” , but they face the challenges of “disruption of sense of place” and “ loss of the nearby “ in the localized digital nomadic life. Chinese digital nomads still face close ties with their family and regional identity during the “nomadic” process. Their nomadic identity therefore has the characteristics of “settling while moving and moving while settling”, forming a “Intermediaries” social role that combines independence and connectivity. Young digital nomads in Chinese society are a group that practices “liquid life”, and the question of where digital nomads are going should be our common concern.