Introduction Defining Geeks and Nerds Until recently, the words “geek” and “nerd” came with the mainstream nose wrin- kle of disgust. Stereotypical depictions of nerds and geeks included high-water pant legs, pocket protectors, broken glasses fixed with masking tape, and socially awkward behavior. In 1989, the ABC television show Family Matters introduced the quintessential “geek/nerd” stereotype with its character Steve Urkel (Jaleel White). Awkward and often annoying, Urkel’s well-meaning interruptions acted as comedic relief. Although many people use the terms “nerd” and “geek” interchangeably, the two differ slightly. The term “nerd” more often refers to someone deeply interested in the academic pursuit underlying a topic. For example, someone might be a “word nerd.” A word nerd would focus on both the definition and history behind a term. Moreover, most nerds focus on small details within a topic, such as arguing over superhero origin stories. The term “geek” connotes passion. In his article “Geek Policing: Fake Geek Girls and Contested Attention,” Joseph Reagle uses J. A. McAr- thur’s definition: “To be geek is to be engaged, to be enthralled in a topic, and then to act on that engagement. Geeks come together based on common expertise on a certain topic. These groups may identify themselves as computer geeks, anime geeks, trivia geeks, gamers, hackers, and a number of other specific identifiers” (Reagle 2015, 2864). While “nerd” focuses on the brain, “geek” focuses on the heart. Geeks love things, and they love them passionately. Defining Geek Culture When people hear the term “geek culture,” they focus on science fiction, comic books, fantasy novels, and video games. In their article “A Psychological Explora- tion of Engagement in Geek Culture,” the authors defined geeks as “obscure media enthusiast” and explained that during the 1980s, increased technology adoption made the marginalized interests more mainstream (McCain, Gentile, and Camp- bell 2015). Additionally, they create a “canonical list of media interests that were geeky began to form, including science-fiction and fantasy, comic books, role- playing games, costuming, etc. These interests tended to share common themes, such as larger-than-life fantasy worlds (e.g., Tolkien’s Middle Earth), characters with extraordinary abilities (e.g., Superman), the use of magic or highly advanced technologies (e.g., futuristic technologies in Star Trek), and elements from hist- ory (e.g., renaissance fairs) or foreign cultures (e.g., Japanese cartoons, or anime).
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