As technology accelerates progress, a curious paradox emerges: advancement brings humanity back to its beginnings. Remote work signals a return to the mobility of hunter-gatherers. Rekindling this wandering hearth, digital nomads are challenging the concept of nation-states.
The roots of human mobility
Humanity’s earliest societies were inherently nomadic. Archaeological evidence shows that early humans, particularly hunter-gatherers, lived in small, mobile groups. These groups roamed vast landscapes in search of food and resources. Mobility was essential for survival, allowing early humans to adapt to changing environments.
According to research from Our World in Data, a respected platform led by economist Max Roser, most of human history was spent in this nomadic state.
This lifestyle fostered flexible social structures. Leadership was temporary, and decisions were made collectively. The ability to move freely ensured access to vital resources and enabled these early societies to thrive.
However, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. Having no crops or specialized jobs meant people had less free time, for example, to tend to their families and education. Men and women spent their days hunting and foraging to survive in addition to child-rearing and defending themselves.
Digital nomadism’s erosion of national identity
Like our hunter-gatherer ancestors, digital nomads are beginning to abandon allegiances to particular places. The identity of nomads is no longer as tightly connected to regions. As digital nomads cross borders with ease, national identities may erode. Increasingly, people identify with global communities rather than specific countries.
This shift could alter the fabric of modern states, leading to new forms of identity and governance. Traditional ties that once bound individuals to a specific nation are loosening. In their place, a more fluid, global identity is emerging. This change challenges the long-standing concept of the nation-state, which has dominated governance for centuries.
A digital nomad’s reason for being in one country rather than the other is that resources are more plentiful there, echoing their ancestors’ motives. Such resources may include a better tax-free bracket, a better internet connection, or a lower cost of living.
Unbound from national constraints, identities could take on a more narrow definition. For example, individuals may choose to identify with their families (a tribal inclination), friends, or communities.
Alternatively, identities could take on a broader definition, such as a global citizenry promulgated by ancient Greek philosophers such as Socrates and Diogenes.
One thing is certain. If digital nomadism continues to grow, civilization will change to a paradigm that has primarily lied dormant for thousands of years. Looking back at humanity’s journey from nomadism to nation-states and back again reveals valuable insight into the course of human habitation.
The rise of city-states
Around 10,000 BC, farming began to replace the nomadic lifestyle. Permanent settlements emerged. Prior to the formation of nations, the world was made up of civilizations.
Civilizations began to emerge around 3500 BC, primarily in regions where agriculture and social organization had advanced to a point that extensive, stable populations could be supported.
In Greece, the advent of civilization gave rise to city-states. Societies such as Athens and Sparta became deeply rooted in specific locations. Governance, economy, and culture became intrinsically tied to the land, as evidenced by Victor Davis Hanson’s research in The Other Greeks: The Family Farm and the Agrarian Roots of Western Civilization (1999).
Hanson argues that the agricultural practices of small-scale farmers were foundational to the economic and social structures of the Greek polis, particularly in Athens.
Furthermore, Mogens Herman Hansen’s work Polis: An Introduction to the Ancient Greek City-State provides a comprehensive overview of how Greece’s physical geography, characterized by scattered valleys and isolated plains, contributed to the development of independent city-states.
Each polis was deeply connected to its location, with local geography influencing political and social organization. Conflicts such as the Peloponnessian Wars demonstrate this allegiance to a city-state, which, in turn, was tied to a location.
A sedentary lifestyle became a fundamental part of life in ancient Greece and most parts of the world. Scholars theorize a desire for a more reliable food source was a leading reason why nomadic peoples transitioned to sedentary lifestyles.
Humanity could depend more on farming and animals than on daily hunting and foraging. The shift to agrarian lifestyles allowed populations to boom, and with rising populations, came friction and questions of broader identities, such as nation-states.
The rise of nation-states
Fast-forward: As city-states expanded into empires and eventually nation-states, human society grew increasingly sedentary. This transition brought stability but also imposed limitations.
People’s lives became tied to specific territories defined by borders and centralized governments. National identity became paramount, with personal identities closely linked to a fixed place of residence.
The sedentary lifestyle required a stable population bound by laws, taxes, and cultural norms. This shift created powerful nation-states but also established a rigid way of life. These structures restricted the freedom to move, once vital for survival.
In a twist of fate, technological advancement has facilitated a return to humanity’s primordial roots where travel was common.
The digital revolution and the return to mobile lifestyles
The digital age has shattered the constraints of sedentary life. Technological advancements in transportation and communication have made the world more accessible than ever. Historical records indicate that, in the 18th century, traveling from Paris to Lyon by stagecoach took five to six days.
Today, this journey takes just two hours by train. Charbon documented this reduction in travel time as part of a broader trend of increased mobility. The rise of digital nomadism is a direct result of these advancements.
Research by Stanford economist Nick Bloom and the Work From Home Map shows that remote job opportunities have increased three to five times since the pandemic. Bloom’s expertise in labor economics and remote work adds significant weight to these findings, underscoring the transformative impact of digital nomadism on modern work patterns.
This surge in remote work allows more people to work from anywhere they desire. Digital nomads, like ancient hunter-gatherers, move in search of better opportunities. They choose locations based on cost of living, climate, and lifestyle preferences.
Economic impact on nation-states
This resurgence of mobility challenges traditional nation-states, particularly in taxation and governance. In the United States, for example, the wealthiest 10 percent of the population contributes nearly 74 percent of federal taxes, according to Erica York, an economist at the Tax Foundation.
The Tax Foundation is a non-partisan research organization known for its detailed analysis of tax policies. York’s findings highlight the significant economic implications if even a tiny portion of these individuals were to relocate abroad.
Nation-states are struggling to adapt to this new reality. Tax systems and governance structures designed for a sedentary population are inadequate for accommodating a mobile elite.
Tracey Johnson’s detailed research on digital nomad visas in 58 countries indicates that governments are beginning to respond. Johnson, a travel writer and digital nomad specialist, provides in-depth insights into how these visas are reshaping global mobility.
Her work highlights how countries such as Portugal, Estonia, and Barbados use these visas to attract remote workers, stimulate local economies, and compete in the global talent market.
By analyzing the policies and economic impacts of these visas, Johnson’s research underscores the growing influence of digital nomadism on international economic strategies, especially by developing economies looking to find other avenues to increase their GDP.
The adaptation to and accommodation of digital nomadism suggest it may be the future of work and reintroducing a lifestyle lost in the mists of prehistory.
How digital nomads are rekindling humanity’s origins
Humanity is coming full circle. This history arc is evident from the early days of hunter-gatherers to the rise of nation-states and now back to digital nomadism. While the tools have changed, the underlying drive for mobility and flexibility remains constant. Digital nomadism is not merely a passing trend but a fundamental shift or return in society’s functions.
As more people embrace this lifestyle, the implications for society are profound. The structures of the past are giving way to new yet familiar possibilities, whereby mobility and adaptability are once again central to survival. The path of technological advancement has led humanity back to its beginnings.
