Modern Nomad, Urban Matcha or Neo-Hippie? Lifestyles of the 21st Century

In reports by the "zukunftsInstitut" I came across various lifestyles of late modernity. These are based on findings from the Futopolis trend study as well as insights from the Lifestyles Workbox and categorise, amongst other things, into Neo-Hippies, Urban Matchas, Neo-Biedermeier and modern nomads. But what – and above all who – is behind these terms? In my search for extraordinary ways of living, I also spoke with a student who lives permanently in her car as a roof-tent nomad.

The starting point of the reports is the publication "Lebensstile" by Gatterer et al. from 2017, which bundles the results of the trend studies and was created as part of the zukunftsInstitut . As an empirically grounded, future-oriented analysis, this handbook is primarily intended to help companies understand the lifestyles, wishes and goals of Germans – today and especially tomorrow. The authors define 18 lifestyles that are to be used for customer analysis. I am less concerned with market-strategic attempts to approach my fellow human beings; I want to understand how we live and what possibilities the present offers in the "domestic" sphere. How the spectrum between avant-garde and traditional ways of living differentiates itself. I would now like to introduce four lifestyles from the publication to you. Particularly the first three represent active driving forces of urbanisation processes.

Neo-Hippie – The We Wins

The lifestyle of the Neo-Hippie is characterised above all by a strong sense of community. People who prefer to appear in a group rather than alone. Who prefer to cook together rather than have a pizza delivered in the evening to be eaten in the cosy togetherness of the television. Who prefer to create memories at events that the group will remember for years to come, rather than devote themselves to an event alone: "Neo-Hippies therefore exist virtually only in the plural. You find them in urban gardening projects, at street festivals, food festivals, doing yoga together in the park and in the university café. Neo-Hippies are value-oriented, but also want to enjoy life to the fullest. The city is the ideal place for Neo-Hippies. Here there are enough public spaces that they can discover and shape as a group." (1) Shared flats in particular offer optimal conditions for experimenting with this lifestyle. From communal funds to film nights to the complete dissolution of private spaces in the sense of functional living.

Urban Matcha – the Trend Sensor

The lifestyle of Urban Matcha, whose German translation between urban and green tea would probably be better left alone, also clearly shows that this is about trends and extravagance. And Urban Matchas also appreciate community: "The Urban Matcha currently enjoys a lot of attention, as his clothing style and consumer behaviour shape the appearance of our cities. His Willingness to Experiment means that he can be found wherever something new is emerging. Urban Matchas celebrate the regional uniqueness of their home cities and serve as "early adopters" for all sorts of culinary and cultural trends. The city is their playground, where they can let loose with their usually large circles of friends." (2)

They recognise and adapt trends rather than creating them through their own creativity. In doing so, they contribute significantly to the success of trends.

Modern Nomad – Always on the Move

Here today, gone tomorrow. The bachelor's thesis written on the train, a BahnCard 100 makes it possible. Modern nomadism no longer takes place in a roaming large group, but in small groups or mostly alone. The principle of not being settled has remained: "Modern nomads want to absorb the cultural and local characteristics of the regions in which they move. (…) However, their nomadism is not only expressed in their wanderlust between different cities, but also in their mobility within urban spaces. The modern nomad no longer knows a clear separation of places and spaces into the categories 'private' and 'public' or 'work' and 'living/home'. He lives in the truest sense of the word in the 'Third Home'. (3)  Very much in the spirit of globalisation, mobility and networking are practised as part of a self-realising, freedom-loving lifestyle. 

Life as a roof tent nomad

Whilst I spent my entire time as a student in shared flats, student Pauline Bürger (International Tourism Management) has been living permanently in her car for the past eighteen months. As a roof tent nomad, she is always mobile. She stores her clothing in boxes in the car, and sets up her bed on the car roof in the evening. In search of the next parking spot, she opens her laptop in the most varied of places. She also wrote her bachelor's thesis in a folding chair and in the middle of nature, with her mobile home in the background. She says: "I am travelling constantly, that is my lifestyle" and "I think to myself, if I want to do something, then I just do it. Otherwise you never do it in the end. And: everything is possible!". After Pauline initially spent time in public spaces, the so-called "third places", to use WiFi and electricity, she now lives more self-sufficiently: from the parking heater to the Europe-wide internet flat rate to a solar panel, her car-living lifestyle continues to develop into its own system. Currently she works in casual jobs on site; last year she worked as a "digital nomad" a lot from her laptop. She says: "I see not only money, but also all the experiences I gather, as provision for old age."

If you're interested in the lifestyle of roof tent nomads or travelling as a woman, you should definitely check out her Instagram channel @pauline_s_buergerbewegung .

Neo-Biedermeier – Home is where it's best

In comparison to the previous, progressive lifestyles, the term Neo-Biedermeier encompasses a cosier, simpler and more functional type: "What characterises it is a return to the cosiness and security of the home, the idyll of the private and the traditional family as the pivot point of life design. This focus is partly fed by a flight from change: from fear of the challenges of globalisation and in particular from the increasing loss of privacy in an increasingly digitalised world." (4) As a reaction to the fast-paced times and in particular appreciation of one's own four walls, people of this type prefer a barbecue with family and friends in their own garden to shopping sprees in the hustle and bustle.

Conclusion

The terminology and possible classifications are certainly debatable. They are amusing and entertaining in any case. Especially in the course of digitalisation, which has been accelerated in some respects by the Corona crisis, it does not seem far-fetched to speculate that in the coming years more and more students could shape their semesters as digital nomads. Whether one remains in the family home in the spirit of Neo-Biedermeier and saves on rent, or whether one wants to pursue the wanderlust of modern nomadism.

By Sarah Schmittinger

Sources:

1-3: Hofstätter, Philipp: Der Lebensstil „Moderner Nomade" verkörpert das urbane Mindset. https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/artikel/wohnen/futopolis-und-der-moderne-nomade/

4: https://www.zukunftsinstitut.de/artikel/wohnen/pioniere-fuer-kuenftige-wohnkonzepte/