Vanlife: pure hype or long-term social change?

Philippe MEDA -

Another great article from our friends at L'Atelier. One that is really in season when you see all other social medias this explosion of young adults selling their apartments (or refusing to own one to start with) and taking the road in a van.

Life is a highway, let’s ride it all night: The digital economy’s transformation of van life
In #vanlife’s most current iteration, it’s not the open road that dictates the voyage; it’s the digital economy behind the wheel.
L'Atelier

Vanlife not just a hashtag now. It's a full on societal signal. But what does it signal when this image of frugality and digital nomadism is based on $300,000 van conversions?

Should we be critical and think that "#Vanlife also demonstrates how the web can amplify distorted narratives that gloss over real challenges and inequalities, where people are led to believe in the feasibility of a lifestyle actually reserved for a few"? Or should we read differently into it and believe that it's the preview of a new freedom made accessible for the rest of us with cheap 5G and solar panels?

Another question to ask about the phenomenon regards its demography. Will we see an entire generation shift focus from real estate and 9 to 5 jobs to other forms of life-long commitments?

In the context of both a recession where mortgages are bound to become less accessible, and an unprecedented job shortage, following up on this signal will be probably very telling.