We explain what a geek is, what types exist and what geek culture is. Also, differences with a nerd and a geek.
What is a geek?
The term geek is a loan from the English language, with which a person is usually used. person fascinated by technology and the computing, or that he has very specific and unusual interests, associated with fandom and memorabilia.
It is a term typical of the twentieth century, initially with a derogatory sense. Its origin dates back to the environment of the circus and carnivals, in which workers with little social talent and no useful ability were called geeks, so their contribution to the show used to be that of tearing heads of live chickens with their teeth. Hence, the term became popular in the English language as a synonym for someone socially undesirable and without talents.
The word geek, along with others like nerd, were used in the late 20th century to derogatory refer to shy people, introverts, little interested in sports and with unusual tastes. However, at the beginning of the 21st century it has become a much more positive term, no doubt as a consequence of the enormous technological dependence of the contemporary world.
Today, geeks are considered an urban tribe or contemporary social group, with a presence in all countries Y cultures. In addition, there are protest groups that even celebrate "Geek Pride Day" every May 25.
Geek culture
Geeky people are commonly expected to have a set of personality traits, hobbies and talents that are closely related to the world of technology and communication. innovation (neophilia, attraction to the new).
At the same time they are supposed to have little interest or little talents for conventional social interaction. However, this is little more than a stereotype, and the so-called “geek world” is much broader and more diverse than it seems at first glance.
In general, geek is considered a Lifestyle, in which technical and computer skills stand out (such as hackers), a taste for role-playing games (especially online and for multiplayer, or MMORPG), video games, collecting and a love of reading and films of fantasy and Science fiction. This, obviously, to a different degree, measure and concordance with the personality.
Types of geek
Although there is no official typology, far from it, there is a tendency to distinguish between three aspects or variants of the geek person, as follows:
- Hackers, whose life revolves around computing and Internet, areas in which they can exercise a certain domain and professionalism, such as activists, hackers or regulars of forums and exchange spaces.
- Fanboys and fangirls, geeks whose interests are very intensely focused on some cultural consumer product: certain series, films, books or music, or all at the same time, of which they know absolutely everything and are a kind of specialists.
- Gamers, fans of video games and the world of digital entertainment consoles, who invest a good part of their time and money in playing games, to the point of participating in e-sports or simply doing an amateur career.
Difference between geek, nerd and geek
The lines between the categories of geek, nerd and geek are often blurred, since they are informal terms, often applied without much distinction and without much interest on the part of people who do not belong to this kind of counterculture. However, there is a tendency to differentiate between them based on the following:
- Nerds tend to be socially inept people, with a strong shyness, introversion or even autism, but at the same time a notorious intelligence and an ability to focus beyond the usual.
- Geeks have a lifestyle focused on technology and certain specific hobbies, but they do not necessarily have a depressed social life, nor an intelligence that is superior to the rest.
- Geeks, for their part, come to be the same geeks, only that in this case it is a term used in Spanish (taken, paradoxically, from English freak, "Misfit" or "weird"). It is possible, however, that they differ between one and the other based on their educational level, their consumption capacity and their social class, relegating the term geek for less resourceful geeks.