think digital nomads are the closest thing we have to a network state, Balaji ‘s concept of a future world of decentralized nation-states.
In the age of the internet, where influencers bring together millions of people, the idea of forming a digital society and then turning it into a real state becomes plausible:
They have a real sense of belonging to a global community.
They are united with other digital nomads in an international way that isn't always true of other professions, like say, fellow plumbers, in a bond that transcend borders and languages
They speak English, made almost compulsory by their extensive travels.
They show solidarity among themselves, being expatriates in foreign countries, and subject to the same problems.
They have identified hubs of their own: Lisbon, Tallinn, Cyprus, Dubai, Cancún, Bali, Chiang Mai...
They have numerous online communities in which they forge links, converse, exchange good tips, and share places to visit, ways of conducting their business or their job remotely, etc.
They regularly organize formal and informal events for their fellow digital nomads.
They even possess many of the characteristics of a nation—all they need to become a network state is to recognize that they are part of a group that has the potential to have a political identity. Once they have this consciousness, they can create a state to represent and protect them.
Here's a realistic first step that could get us there: Create an online union of digital nomads.
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