Identity work among digital nomads An exploratory study of the connection between a sub-group of digital media entrepreneurs and their felt identity tensions arising from the conditions of COVID19

Identities and identity development are becoming an important topic in research on organisations and entrepreneurship. However, the connection between digital media entrepreneurs and identity work is underresearched, especially among digital nomads. Digital nomads are a subgroup of digital media entrepreneurs that consists of people who work online, travel long and frequent, and have an uncertain return rate. A prevailing situation that influences how people act as entrepreneurs, how they communicate and evolve –and hence strongly defines possibilities for identity work– is the current pandemic of COVID19 and the subsequent corona crisis. This research explores the struggles involved with identity work, formation, and change as well as ways to solve or tackle this through the frame of COVID19 to ultimately answer the question: How do digital media entrepreneurs conceptualise, focus on, and tackle tensions and problems of identity work? Eleven online, semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted among digital nomads, with a mix of entrepreneurial experience, nationalities, ages, types of work, and current locations. This data was analysed through a thematic analysis, which resulted in 4 main themes and 19 subthemes. The main contribution of this research is to provide an in-depth understanding of how digital nomads are facing struggles of identity work. I show that digital nomads conceptualise, focus on, and tackle problems and struggles of identity work by having, developing, and upholding a specific mindset, utilising and discovering social media, finding, associating, and developing relationships, and retaining an opportunistic approach. In doing so, I contribute to academic research on the identity work in general and around digital nomads in particular. More specifically, the contribution relates to the effects of COVID19 on identity, reveals the interconnectedness of struggles of identity work, and supplement previous literature on digital nomadism with research that has COVID19 as a frame. Overall, this research can contribute to being more conscious of our own identity work, and for entrepreneurs to be able to identify and effectively tackle identity struggles and problems of identity work. Additionally, the trend of remote employment could be an opportunity for investing in the co-working industry.