Our first interview partner for our www & me blog series is Jonathan Pochini who regards himself a digital nomad. This relatively new movement of location independent web workers is rapidly growing lately and you can find related Facebook forums, blogs, magazine articles and even documentaries all over the web right now. So, let‘s find out what the web means to Jonathan and how he uses it for his work travel lifestyle.
About Jonathan
Jonathan is an Italian Online Marketing Consultant, specialized in SEO & Online Marketing campaigns (www.jonathanseo.com). He lived in Australia for 4 years, then decided to explore the digital nomad lifestyle: he lived and worked in Chiang Mai, Koh Phanghan (Thailand), back to Italy… till he moved to Canary islands: he lived 5 months in Fuerteventura and is currently based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Right now he is thinking of moving to Tenerife in a couple of months. As you may notice Jonathan likes to travel slowly!
What role does the web play in your life?
„Without the internet I couldn’t live my digital nomad lifestyle and more importantly I couldn’t even work. I’m an active contributor of the Italian digital nomad community. For me some of the most interesting aspects of my nomad life are:
- I found that the digital nomad lifestyle is (r)evolutionary: when all your life must stay in a suitcase and a hand luggage…
- You are kind of forced to develop a healthy non-attachment to things: you won’t buy lots of clothes, gadgets or objects that you can not bring along with you when you will move again. You won’t even buy a car!
- You will spend less on things and more on experiences. I imagine, the more this lifestyle will be spreading, the more the economy and the society will be shaped (in my opinion, in a better way).“
Your relationship with the net in three words.
„If it must be 3 words probably it will be „Connecting with People„. Elaborating that… it will be „Connecting with People, Ideas, Information„… but people come first! :)
„Always on” - does mobile internet give you more freedom or does it make you more dependent?
„I would go for „freedom“. Becoming addicted to tools (or not) is entirely on us! Set one day a week to stay away from anything like your laptop, your smartphone or any other device and see if you can deal with that. When is the last time I’ve done that, by the way? :)“
Have you become more social through social media?
„Only when social media help us meet and connect in the real life. For example I’ve seen those digital nomads around the world using facebook groups, google+ communities, meetups… to connect to each others. But then the purpose is always to meet in the real life! Maybe just to have a coffee or a couple of beers together. Humans are social animals after all…“
Your first time on the internet?
„Wow! If I remember correctly my first time was with one of the first chat systems.“
Offline for a year - dream or nightmare?
„Since I’m working on the Internet, I would say that if I stay one year offline… it means I can afford it! So, let’s go for „dream“. But then, if I will be able to not work for a year, I think I’d like to use my skills to make something good or fun: a blog regarding life changing ideas for example… :)“
The future of the internet - where does the journey go to for you?
„Probably outside the internet and deep down into the real world! :)
Recently I found a fascinating TED talk regarding 3D printing applied to building houses. Basically - in the future - you can download the plan from the internet and have a not-that-huge 3D printer build a house at a fraction of the cost. But it appears there are a number of applications to come for 3D printing: from medical industry to anything that can be manufactured automatically.
Then there are all the Augmented Reality opportunities: as I imagine it, you will walk and interact in the real world but you will have your perception enhanced by all the information available on the internet. So I would say the internet will „come down to earth“… and change the world!“
Thanks for the interview, Jonathan!
