Summary of the Main Points
This article discusses the phenomenon of "digital nomads," referring to people who have online accounts and post content in the AI era, yet lack genuine connections and recognition as individuals. AI has exacerbated this issue by creating fake accounts that dilute real interactions, raising the bar for proving one's authenticity, and using algorithms to remove users at any time. Even those who are actively trying to gain attention (like content creators) and seemingly normal people (such as those who maintain a well-managed social media presence without genuine connections) can end up feeling homeless in the digital world.
What Are Digital Nomads? — Not About Having No Accounts, But About Feeling Homeless
You might have accounts on platforms like TikTok, WeChat, or REDnote, posting content daily with views and followers. However, this is merely being "present" online—algorithms treat you as data (view-through rates, interaction rates), and you're categorized and counted like products on a shelf, without anyone truly "seeing" you.
What does it mean to be "at home" online? It means that someone recognizes your voice; when you stop posting for a week, someone messages to check on you. When you comment on others' posts, they know it's you, just like a neighbor greeting you. Your content reflects your personality, not a formulaic hit.
The essence of being a digital nomad is that your presence on these platforms is based on a "I-it" relationship (the algorithm sees you as a tool), rather than an "I-you" relationship (where someone sees you as a complete person). It's like a street homeless person who has a place to stay but no home; you have an account, but you don't feel a sense of belonging because you're not truly "seen."
The Decline of Digital Nomads: From Trial to Complete Homelessness
In the digital world, people gradually slide towards homelessness, similar to how street homeless people's situation worsens over time:
1. Initial Stage: You register an account, change your profile picture frequently, and delete content, anxious about whether you can stay there—like someone who has just lost their home, looking for a place to hide.
2. Middle Stage: You continue to post, following trends and using formulaic content strategies, gaining followers but no meaningful interactions—like a homeless person in a tent, able to make eye contact with passersby but without real neighbors.
3. Final Stage: Your account is still active, but the content seems AI-generated (lacking human effort), and interactions are automated—like a homeless person after being labeled as such, ignored by everyone.
For example, when you see a content creator begging for likes, you remember the content, not the person behind it; they gain traffic but lose their identity as a real person.
The Impact of AI
AI has made life even harder for digital nomads with three major challenges:
1. Mass Production of Fake Accounts: AI creates accounts that look and behave like real users (with profiles, posts, likes, and comments), making it hard to distinguish between humans and machines. Over time, you stop trying to tell the difference and assume they're not human, leading to fewer genuine interactions.
2. Rising Bar for Recognition: In the past, three years of original content could prove your authenticity; now AI can create a perfect timeline that looks like ten years of consistent posting. To convince others you're real, you need to show them in those brief moments when they scroll through your content—almost impossible.
3. Algorithms as Demolition Orders: Platforms use AI to change recommendation algorithms, suddenly stopping the promotion of your content. You're like a tenant whose house is evicted—with no warning or chance to appeal, simply disappearing from the platform.
You Might Be a Digital Nomad Too
Many ordinary people are also digital nomads:
- Your social media presence: Every post is carefully crafted, only visible to you.
- Abandoned accounts: QQ spaces, unused Weibo accounts, or REDnote profiles left untouched.
- Your contact list: Hundreds of people who don't know what you're currently going through.
The author, Lao, mentions having moved 23 times at 46 and feeling like a ghost in real communities. In the digital world, it might be the same: you're present on multiple platforms but have no true "home."
The Cruel Logic Behind It
All this stems from platforms' exploitative accumulation of data—similar to historical land grabbers taking farmers' land and forcing them to work in cities. The content, followers, and connections you build on these platforms can be taken away with a change in rules.
For example, if you gain 100,000 followers on TikTok and the platform reduces organic traffic, you're forced to pay for promotion or be forgotten. You're not the owner of the platform; you're just a data provider.
Silicon Valley warns that podcasters must succeed within two years or risk being permanently marginalized. But when everyone follows this path, the "bridge" (the platform) becomes ground, and those who only produce AI-generated content are excluded from any real connections.
In Conclusion: We're All Moving Between Empty Holes
The article suggests that perhaps no one has truly settled online; we're just moving from one empty space to another, accumulating more and more "empty boxes" (unused accounts). With the rise of AI, these spaces are becoming increasingly crowded, pulling us further away from a sense of home.
So, do you have a "home" in the digital world?
(The translation maintains the original's structure, using everyday examples to explain complex financial and technological concepts in a way that non-financial professionals can understand.)