Re-motility: A critical evaluation of digital nomadism and gentrification

Keywords: remote work, mobility, digital nomads, media geography, geo-media, gentrification
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

While pandemic-era “essential” workers found themselves fixed in co-present place, others were newly positioned to become ‘location independent’ through remote work policies. Thousands joined the “digital nomad” movement of Internet-enabled remote workers who combine work with leisure travel, choosing locations based on natural beauty and/or a vibrant culture along with a cost of living where paychecks go farther than at home (Thompson, 2018). Although this movement was burgeoning before the pandemic, its incredible growth led dozens of countries to court remote workers with “digital nomad visas”—to attract people who will pay into local economies without taking local jobs.

This paper draws from research in Mexico City, where the influx of foreign remote workers is leading to higher rents (and more short-term accommodations) and displacement of residents, as well as a changing consumer landscape focused on international (wealthier) clientele. Despite residents protesting the dissolution of neighborhoods to foreigner-led gentrification, the government recently made a deal with AirBnb to promote the capital as a global hub for remote workers (Alfaro, 2022). This project analyzes news articles and social media posts about digital nomadism and Mexico City, as well as interviews and participant-observation from the scene. I propose the concept of ‘re-motility’ as a lens combining the potential to work remotely with the potential to be mobile. Although motility is often considered empowering, re-motility is used to critically evaluate how a borderless work-life may socially and materially impact communities. As a form of capital, re-motility is a new type of stratification.