What is a Global Native?
Originally coined by Lauren Razavi in her essay collection Global Natives, the term “global natives” refers to the internet generation for whom membership in global networks and engagement with global culture is a natural and assumed part of everyday life.
To be a global native is to think globally by default and to be a native of the internet, meaning the internet is part of your core identity. Global natives grew up in a world where the internet was already prevalent, and thus, it forms an important part of their identity, experience, social ties, and general lens or understanding of the world.
Digital nomads are the most visible demographic example of global natives—they live and work on the internet and have largely borderless lives. Other examples include expats, third culture kids, and even “settler citizens” who work remotely (meaning they work on the internet) but do not necessarily travel as digital nomads.