Digital Nomad, a now somewhat forgotten book which was first published in 1997, was one of the first major books which explored and hypothesized a near-future world where office buildings, and the commuter culture which so many people despise, have been rendered obsolete by mobile technologies which allow people to earn a reliable income from anywhere on the planet they choose.
It is a dream for many young men in the west to be a digital nomad and become location independent, chiefly via running an online business. If it happens to become successful, they are free to escape the “feminism” (female superiority) and degeneracy of their homegrown countries, and instead set up shop in one of the world’s premier love tourism destinations like Rio de Janeiro, Medellin, Poland, the Philippines, or the Ukraine among others.
Brasil – C’mon player, you know you want it. 😉
The pull factors are certainly very enticing. Even though they have unique drawbacks like any other place, they are (mostly) modestly priced spots where women still act, dress, and carry themselves like women. In short, the antithesis of overpriced feminazi cesspools like Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, San Francisco, or Toronto for example.
Places like Chiang Mai in Thailand are very popular for Digital Nomads too, especially for people who are just starting out in the game or aren’t particularly concerned with chasing women or taking part in stupid (and exploitative) Elephant-riding tours all day.
But is the digital nomad lifestyle truly achievable for the masses as we are approaching the closing years of the 2010’s? And just how accurate was the pivotal 1997 book in predicting our world about 20 years down the line? Here I will review some important quotes from the book, with all occurring within the first 25 pages of the publication.
“Over the next decade, technology will deliver us a range of tools that will give us all the facilities of our homes and offices – in our pockets.”
Mostly correct. While smartphones did not really become ubiquitous until the 2010’s, it’s timing prediction was only a couple of years off. However, many people would argue that not “all” of the facilities of our home offices are suitable for a mobile phone.
“Governments naturally hate nomads. They are difficult to tax and impossible to control. Therefore to governments they have traditionally represented a threat.”
Absolutely correct. First world governments hate their citizens being taken out of the local taxation pool, and want everyone to be “on the grid” for social control. Unfortunately, this bureaucratic desire is why so many jobs, which could otherwise be completely location independent, require workers to be entirely on-site in super expensive cities like San Francisco.
“At the moment, we do not have the ability to communicate by video link between any two points on the planet. But we will have it, and it will generally be affordable, within ten years. We will be able to see people, documents and pictures wherever they happen to be, from anywhere we happen to be.”
Correct. Video calls became more common and affordable by the late 2000s, and by the 2010’s certain applications like Skype and Whatsapp have done away with the cost of video calling, texting, or sending pictures and documents completely.
“With a link into the internet, anyone can already access exactly the same information as a travel agent.”
Correct. Websites like Expedia and Skyscanner have entirely killed off the need for travel agents, and they save yourself a commission fee while your at it. Good riddance to them.
“For some workers – those tied to the production line in a factory, or to a particular person, like a secretary – there will not be any benefit to be gained from the new technologies.”
Correct. Only those who work with computers and communications technology can truly benefit from the digital nomad experience. Certain skilled tradesmen (like electricians or oil & gas workers) can take their skills globally, but they will have to be fixated at certain areas and they may require additional licensing that I.T. workers don’t have to deal with.
“Universities could become ‘virtual’, setting courses and conferring degrees without the physical manifestations of buildings or campus”
Correct. Online degrees have become common in the 2010’s, and with how ridiculously expensive and Marxist most American campuses have become, it boggles the mind as to why they are not ubiquitous. $40,000 a year is a lot of money to pay for white guilt indoctrination and “safe spaces”.
“The technology, of course, affords both possibilities. It can create the ultimate ‘couch potato’, someone who never leaves the living room sofa, or the ultimate nomad, someone who is forever on the move.”
Absolutely spot on. While those with discipline and drive can make the most out of being a digital nomad, the information overload and non-stop distractions of Youtube, Pornhub, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Netflix are detrimental to legions of others.
“Women have always been seen as more inclined to settle down than men – would cheap, available nomadism lead to even more disintegration of family life in the west than we are already experiencing? Or will it be the women who take off?”
This is left open to interpretation since it’s presented in the form of a question, but yes, digital nomadism has led to an explosion of travel obsessed women who wish to take endless narcissistic photographs and ride the cock carousel until they are in their mid 30’s. At which point, they think they will still be entitled to a Beta male provider who will completely overlook her rapidly declining looks and sky-high notch count when she wants to “settle down”.
This has been one of the single most unfortunate backlashes of modern technology, and it is indeed leading to the disintegration of family life.
Conclusion
Overall, Digital Nomad was an enjoyable (if somewhat archaic) read which very accurately predicted the not-too-distant future of mobile communications technologies. Unfortunately, the books sense of optimism has not really come to fruition for untold numbers of wannabe digital nomads.
It is extremely difficult to earn a truly GOOD living via nomadism alone, and the sheer amount of hours that many people have to put into their businesses can negate all of the gains of wanting to be a perma-traveler in the first place.
As much we love entrepreneurship in the manosphere, one should not necessarily have to feel guilty about holding down an office or engineering job from time to time, especially if you are clearing $100k or more (which most digital nomads aren’t getting anywhere close to).
In closing, consider this book if you want to take a trip down memory lane and appreciate it’s accurate foresight, but don’t get discouraged if your digital nomad aspirations won’t become a reality. This book assumes it will become the norm, but for at least 95% of people that’s just not going to happen.
Read Next: Is Digital Technology Destroying The Middle Class?
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