Age of the Geek

Depictions of Nerds and Geeks in Popular Media

Kathryn E. Lane

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN:
  9783319657431
• eBook ISBN:
  9783319657448
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Film & Video
• Index: Social Sciences

This collection examines the nerd and/or geek stereotype in popular culture today. Utilizing the media—film, TV, YouTube, Twitter, fiction—that often defines daily lives, the contributors interrogate what it means to be labeled a "nerd" or "geek." While the nerd/geek that is so easily recognized now is assuredly a twenty-first century construct, an examination of the terms' history brings a greater understanding of their evolution. From sports to slasher films, Age of the Geek establishes a dialogue with texts as varied as the depictions of "nerd" or "geek" stereotypes.

© The Author(s) 2018

Kathryn E. Lane (ed.)Age of the Geekhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65744-8_1

Begin Abstract

1. How Was the Nerd or Geek Born?

Kathryn E. Lane¹

(1)

Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Alva, OK, USA

End Abstract

“It’s the age of the geek, baby,” proclaims Alec Hardison in numerous episodes of the TV series Leverage . Perhaps Hardison is right. The highest-ranked show on primetime is The Big Bang Theory , ¹ which depicts a group of “nerdy” scientists trying to connect with the non-nerdy world surrounding them. In addition, Scorpion , a show that chronicles a team of geniuses who exhibit “nerd ” characteristics from the very first episode, was the highest-ranked new primetime show in 2014. As Brian L. Ott contends in his book The Small Screen: How Television Equips Us to Live in the Information Age, if television functions as public discourse, then it stands to reason that what is on our television sets, Netflix accounts, or Hulu does, in fact, go far beyond mere entertainment. This leads to the inevitable question: why can American culture accept a nerd or geek character in the media—television , film , YouTube—and yet not accept a person who would be characterized as a “nerd ” or “geek ” in real life?

And, just to be clear, when asked, “by a 2-to-1 margin (60 to 28%), American parents say, if forced to choose, they would prefer their sons or daughters make C grades and be active in extracurricular activities than make A grades and not be active.” ² Furthermore, the authors were quick to suggest that “parents responding to the Gallup survey interpreted ‘make A grades and not be active’ as a code for nerd or dork, while athletics is the ticket to social status.” ³ That statement is telling as well. Parents would rather their children risk injury in athletics than be labeled a “nerd ”? Really? That doesn’t make sense if we consider what Americans are actively selecting on their televisions, Netflix, or mobile devices for entertainment. The Big Bang Theory is the most popular sitcom on American television and has held the coveted position for years. ⁴ In fact, the show rakes in consistently high ratings even in syndication, which would explain why it is on at least one channel every night in most markets, whether new episodes are airing or syndication reruns are gracing our TV screens. So, if Americans are willing to watch “geeks ” on television , Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube, self-identify as “nerds” on Twitter and Instagram, and read fiction that either features nerds or geeks or marks the reader as such, then why are the terms still considered negative if someone else uses them to describe you? It doesn’t make sense that you can call yourself a geek but be offended when someone else does. Perhaps we need to consider the meaning of the words themselves.

What is a “nerd ”? What is a “geek ”? How are they different? When Hardison says it’s the “age of the geek,” what does that mean? Let’s start with some basic definitions to ensure we’re all speaking the same language. ⁵

The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines “nerd ” as “an insignificant, foolish, or socially inept person; a person who is boringly conventional or studious. Now also: specifically a person who pursues an unfashionable or highly technical interest with obsessive or exclusive dedication.” ⁶ The definition of a nerd , specifically their pursuance of highly technical interests—“with obsessive or exclusive dedication”—is what some individuals would associate with geekdom. However, the definitions of the two terms are very similar, so a comparison to establish basic similarities will be helpful. The OED offers two distinct definitions of “geek.” ⁷ For the sake of this introduction, let us focus on the first definition and its subcategories. The OED states that “geek ” is chiefly a US slang word with three subdefinitions that are relevant to our understanding of the nerd /geek stereotype . The first definition of “geek” is originally English in origin, specific to the north of the country, and is defined as “a person, a fellow, especially one who is regarded as foolish, offensive, worthless, etc.” ⁸ This first subdefinition focuses on the gender of the person being described, with its denoting “a fellow.” This definition also points out that the person being described is either “foolish, offensive, or worthless.” Our understanding of the nerd /geek stereotype , then, takes male gender and “studiousness” as its foundation, followed by a string of negative characteristics. But what if this early definition of a geek is an attempt to articulate social awkwardness, all of which could be described using the adjectives listed above, depending upon the situation?

The second definition of “geek ” is noted as “frequently depreciative” and is defined as “any unsociable person obsessively devoted to a particular pursuit (usually specified in a preceding attributed noun).” For example, someone might be identified as a “computer geek,” “book geek,” or “football geek.” The portion of this definition that is relevant to our understanding of the nerd /geek stereotype is the obsessiveness that many claim marks the stereotype as it is perceived today. Of course, obsessiveness was noted in the “nerd ” definition also, so this is definitely a uniform concept as far as these labels are concerned. Not surprisingly, this particular definition notes that “geek ” is often used as a simile for “nerd .”

The third subdefinition is the most specific: “A person who is extremely devoted to and knowledgeable about computers or related technology. In this sense, especially when as a self-designation, not necessarily depreciative.” This definition focuses on knowledge, specifically knowledge of things having to do with technology. From these definitions and subdefinitions we can take away a few common established characteristics: intelligence , obsessiveness, and male gender . The other thing that all of these definitions have in common is that calling yourself a geek is not a bad thing, but someone else calling you a “geek ” can be an insult. ^{9 , 10}

Yet, how did these words come to have the meanings they do? Both terms are obviously loaded with connotations, but the denotation of the terms is very similar. How then do we differentiate between the terms? Perhaps more importantly, should we differentiate? How did our concept or understanding of the words “nerd ” and “geek ” come into being? How did this all start?

The nerd /geek stereotype that is the focus of this collection is a twentieth-century construct that is changing with each step we make further into the twenty-first century. The term “nerd ,” coined at polytechnic institutes in the 1930s and 1940s, is not the same characterization we see in the media today. ¹¹ The nerd has evolved from his or her humble beginnings as a social outcast into a mainstream character ripe for analysis and study, as this character, more than any other, tells us how we feel about ourselves as we face a world dominated by technology and isolation. ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Frontmatter
• 1. How Was the Nerd or Geek Born?
• 1. What Did You Call Me?: Defining Geekdom
• 2. In or Out?: Defending Nerddom
• 3. I Saw It on TV: Depictions of “Other” Nerd/Geek Stereotypes on Television
• 4. I Am A Nerd!: Depictions of the Nerd/Geek Stereotype on Film
• Backmatter