The Rise of Online Communities and Digital Nomadism

The charm of the digital world has always been the accessibility, convenience, and speed. You can find whatever you need, be it a recipe, service, or advice, online! In turn, people can join various online communities united by particular things.

An online community can be general, gathering people of multiple interests. However, digital communities can be more niche, like specialists in specific fields. Thus, introducing such communities has drastically changed our habits and tendencies. In this interconnected space, we have numerous opportunities to establish relationships.

The dawn of digital communities

An online community collects people sharing interests, goals, needs, or opinions. At first, you might recall the birth of various forums, which turned into trendy hangouts. Now, their style and premise seem limited and old-fashioned. After all, the technologies we witness today have reinvented communication between people online. It’s possible to organize virtual meetings, play games together, or even join for other activities.

So, digital communities shifted from mainly focusing on sharing interests or hobby tips. Now, it’s a way to interact with others on a more personal level, exchange ideas, ask for help, or embark on a journey for professional development. For instance, even a group learning from the same tutor online can become a digital community. All you need is a Discord channel, and you have plenty of options to aid each other during learning.

In fact, the rise of social media platforms is likely the driving force behind the blossoming trend of online communities. Social media unites people across the world and comforts individuals in need of solace and human connections.

How digital nomadism fits into this

Digital nomads are lucky people who have the chance to travel around the world while working remotely. It could be that a company grants such privileges of working from anywhere. But usually, digital nomads are freelancers with enough clients to sustain their global adventures.

The internet greatly impacted how we imagine work, our schedules, and our working stations. Now, a working location can be anywhere: your home, Airbnb, or a coffee shop.

Digital communities are also a significant part of digital nomadism. After all, traveling around means limited options to see family and friends. Thus, people turn to various online communities for socializing opportunities. In fact, the lack of personal connection to other people might be one of the struggles for remote workers. Joining online communities eases this burden.

Besides breaking the traditional constraints of work, the internet also introduced novel ways of generating funds. For instance, many services offer quick and simple jobs for points that can later become free money. That might include various reward platforms, cash-back options, or more innovative opportunities (like sharing assets you wouldn’t think of sharing).

Is the preference for digital communities healthy?

Despite the undeniable benefits of digital communities, their contribution is only sometimes positive. Many specialists emphasize the rejection of face-to-face, physical communications, which people have fostered for thousands of years.

Due to the lack of physical interactions, people do begin struggling in various social situations, like attending events or meeting new people. After all, digital communities hide your identity and make you anonymous. Then, people can build personas, portraying characters instead of their true selves.

Overall, polishing your personality online and offline happens to everyone. Nonetheless, digital communities have also left gaps for cyberbullying, aggression, and impersonation. It’s easy to write a rude comment to anyone online, whether a celebrity or a regular person. So, hiding behind anonymous nicknames gives people the courage to show a more ugly side of them. As a result, digital communities can become more toxic, triggering anxieties and different negative emotions.

Thus, moderators and managers of digital communities must prioritize healthy communications. Bots and other automatic solutions help ease this pain, immediately flagging potentially offensive content.