Publication: The remote self : employment, identity, and self-perception among digital nomads
Abstract
Uzak benlik : dijital göçmenler arasında istihdam, kimlik ve benlik algısı Bu çalışma, dijital göçebelik olgusunu istihdam ve kimlik kavramları çerçevesinde sosyolojik bir sorgulamaya tabi tutmayı amaçlamaktadır. Geleneksel istihdam biçimlerinin dönüşüme uğradığı dijitalleşme çağında, mekândan bağımsız ve platform temelli çalışma biçimleri giderek yaygınlaşmakta; bireyler hem çalışma yaşamlarını hem de gündelik yaşam pratiklerini yeniden yapılandırmaktadır. Bu bağlamda dijital göçebeler, yalnızca teknolojik imkanlardan yararlanan yeni bir iş gücü değil, aynı zamanda emek rejimlerinin, kimlik kurgularının ve toplumsal eşitsizliklerin yeniden üretildiği özgül bir alanın aktörleri olarak ele alınmaktadır. Çalışmada Pierre Bourdieu’nün “alan”, “habitus” ve “sermaye” kavramları temel kuramsal çerçeve olarak benimsenmiştir. Dijital göçebelik bir toplumsal alan olarak düşünülerek, bu alanda hareket eden bireylerin sermaye türleri, sınıfsal konumları ve benimsedikleri yaşam tarzları analiz edilmiştir. Araştırmanın saha çalışması kısmında, çeşitli ülkelerde yaşayan on iki dijital göçebe ile derinlemesine görüşmeler yapılmış; elde edilen veriler tematik analiz yöntemiyle çözümlenmiştir. Sonuç olarak, dijital göçebelik pratiklerinin yalnızca bireysel tercih ya da teknolojik ilerleme sonucu ortaya çıkmadığı; aksine, toplumsal yapı, kültürel sermaye ve sınıfsal habitus ile yakından ilişkili olduğu ortaya konmuştur. Bu bağlamda çalışma, dijitalleşen emek biçimlerine yönelik eleştirel ve çok katmanlı bir bakış sunmaktadır.
The remote self : employment, identity, and self-perception among digital nomads This study aims to subject the phenomenon of digital nomadism to a sociological questioning within the framework of the concepts of employment and identity. In the age of digitalization, where traditional forms of employment are transforming, location-independent and platform-based working styles are becoming increasingly widespread; individuals are restructuring both their working lives and daily life practices. In this context, digital nomads are considered not only as a new workforce that benefits from technological opportunities, but also as actors in a specific field where labour regimes, identity constructs and social inequalities are reproduced. In the study, Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of “field”, “habitus” and “capital” are adopted as the basic conceptual framework. Considering digital nomadism as a social field, the types of capital, class positions and lifestyles of individuals moving in this field are analysed. In the field study, in-depth interviews were conducted with twelve digital nomads living in various countries and the obtained data were analysed using thematic analysis method. As a result, it is concluded that digital nomad practices do not emerge solely as a result of individual preference or technological advancement; On the contrary, it has been shown that it is closely related to social structure, cultural capital and class habitus. In this context, the study offers a critical and multi-layered view of digitalized forms of labour.
The remote self : employment, identity, and self-perception among digital nomads This study aims to subject the phenomenon of digital nomadism to a sociological questioning within the framework of the concepts of employment and identity. In the age of digitalization, where traditional forms of employment are transforming, location-independent and platform-based working styles are becoming increasingly widespread; individuals are restructuring both their working lives and daily life practices. In this context, digital nomads are considered not only as a new workforce that benefits from technological opportunities, but also as actors in a specific field where labour regimes, identity constructs and social inequalities are reproduced. In the study, Pierre Bourdieu's concepts of “field”, “habitus” and “capital” are adopted as the basic conceptual framework. Considering digital nomadism as a social field, the types of capital, class positions and lifestyles of individuals moving in this field are analysed. In the field study, in-depth interviews were conducted with twelve digital nomads living in various countries and the obtained data were analysed using thematic analysis method. As a result, it is concluded that digital nomad practices do not emerge solely as a result of individual preference or technological advancement; On the contrary, it has been shown that it is closely related to social structure, cultural capital and class habitus. In this context, the study offers a critical and multi-layered view of digitalized forms of labour.