Page 67 - WHERE WE WORK - Schlegelmilch

Moving between places
of instant sociality, or developing connections with like-minded others. We found that the connections served two purposes, namely counting the feeling of loneliness (short, local) and establishing work relationships (global, durable). While these seem like two distinct intentions, a relationship could develop from one into the other.
There was one particular physical feature that afforded the nomadic workers to develop connections with others: proximity to others. By coming to places where other workers were, nomadic workers were able to embed themselves socially. Zane explains how being geographically close supported him in his efforts:
"I think it's just co-working spaces have lots of freelancers [...] and being surrounded with those sort of people, and having small engagements perhaps when you grab a coffee or when you’re going to the bathroom, you might meet somebody along the way and have a moment of conversation.” (Zane, strategy consultant, #12).
“You have a lot of good friends in one space [place], and then you go to the next one [location], and then you have to try to reintegrate or ‘re-find’ friends.” (Kylie, business manager, #16).
Both quotes illustrate how instant sociality is situated in place, the ‘where’ of work, as proximity enables connections between people. The nomadic workers use various digital tools to facilitate making connections in geographical locations. For example, the following quote comes from the interview with Vanessa, a remote event planner, and she responded to the question of how she meets people when she arrives in a new location:
"[On Instagram], you let people know where you're going [by sharing your location], and people are like, ‘I would love to meet you'. In Warsaw last year, it worked like that. [It] starts through Instagram, and then you connect through Facebook, and then you meet, and then this person is introducing you to somebody else, and that somebody else is introducing you to five more people.” (event planner, #9).
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