Katelyn S. Irons | Echo
Geeks-they've been the underdogs of the high school and college scene for the last three-quarters of a century. They've been the ones ignored from the party invites and stereotyped as klutzy and socially awkward. They've been taunted and bullied for their love of technology, gaming and "Star"-titled franchises.
But no longer.Last week, a group of football players were playing fantasy football online in Breuninger's lobby. Suddenly one guy jumped up and turned the TV up. An episode of "The Big Bang Theory," a popular CBS show about four geeks and an attractive blonde girl, had just came on. "Man, I love this show!" he exclaimed. The rest of the guys nodded their heads in agreement.
This is how far we have come. Even in a group of football players, it is obvious how far geek culture-the movement of people who are non-mainstream experts or enthusiasts-has permeated.
In the last few years, geek culture has a newfound popularity, and it seems to be here to stay. In a few more years, everyone might be wearing square, black-framed glasses and playing old Nintendo games. Well, hopefully it won't go that far. But there are some things to be learned from geek culture, even without fully embracing the trend.
In a generation so reliant on technology, geeks became important people to know. It happened like this: People decided to cozy up to their neighborhood nerd for convenient computer maintenance. Eventually these friendships with tech-savvy people made popular people upset.
And that's when the turnaround began. Popular people, now jealous of techies, began learning the ways of geekdom. Now it is common to see geeks and populars intermixed, discussing the capabilities of their computers or comparing smartphones. The knowledge of how to navigate the world within technology has become essential, and essentially cool.
In the job market, tech-savvy employees have a step up. As job searching itself turns digital, companies are recruiting through Twitter and LinkedIn, and knowledge of social media is a requirement for survival.
Dressed up as a character on a day other than Halloween? Unheard of before the insurgence of geek culture. While there is still such a thing as taking your passions too far, being "obsessed" with a TV show, game or movie is now seen as cool.
When geek cultures collide: a day at Baltimore's Otakon http://t.co/3lj9ZPru7m by @thepacketratPopulars, jocks and geeks alike have joined forces in support of superheroes. The Marvel Universe, known for heroes like Iron Man, Captain America and the Hulk, is especially trendy. Marvel's new series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." began this week and had almost 12 million viewers, according to Entertainment Weekly.- Ars Technica (@arstechnica) August 11, 2013
With words like "geek chic," "BYOD" (Bring your own device) and "digital detox" now added to the Oxford Dictionary, it is more and more evident that the popularity of geek culture is not vanishing anytime soon. Remember, geek culture, just like any fad, can be exclusive. Learn from past treatment of geeks and support those who don't own the latest smartphone or know what "cookies" are on a computer.
Don't just be a hipster-be a nerdster.
