New working spaces and COVID-19 : Analyzing the debate through Twitter

COVID-19 has altered both the daily routine and social perception of everyone worldwide, specifically in the work environment. In this context, there has been extensive discussion as to whether new working spaces may be beneficial for the future of work in general. The academic debate is still exploring the dynamics underway in the coworking economy in relation to COVID-19, while an analysis of the non-academic debate and overall perception of the topic is still lacking. Within this framework, this chapter presents an analytical exploration of the non-academic discourse about coworking on Twitter. The method relies on digital ethnography to analyze social media data related to coworking gathered via Twitter. The research seeks to demonstrate the link between the ‘web perception’ of coworking spaces on online social platforms and the actual dynamics occurring in physical coworking spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.