Nineteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Since the Trump administration gained its foothold in the American executive branch in 2016, many opposing American citizens have expressed their sentiments about leaving the United States if Trump wins again. Social media has given users worldwide a first-hand account of daily life in other global cities. From Florence to Buenos Aires, many Americans have moved away from the United States, becoming, in the process, “digital nomads.” These individuals use their social media accounts to act as a digital tour-guides of the cities they live in. The cities benefit from their presence because these digital nomads advertise the restaurants, nightlife, and daily living by making and sharing videos with their followers online. Digital nomads have been known to stimulate the local economy of the city they inhabit, and their social media skills promote the local culture of a city to people back home. Although many economic and cultural benefits have arisen, political representation and civic participation questions have arisen. What are the political bounds and limitations of the digital nomad? What does it say about citizenship in our contemporary age, when a citizen from one nation is paid in dollars and, rather than boost those dollars back into the American economy, helps the local economy of another nation grow instead? How does the digital nomad, who uses the culture of another country, manage to escape the critical eye? Is this a new form of colonization?