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Nerd Culture Essay

Decent Essays

Dork, dweeb, geek, techie, or trekkie? What is a nerd? Dr. Suess first used the word “nerd” in 1950 it described a “small, unkempt, humanoid creature with a large head and a comically disapproving expression”. Newsweek, just a year later, reported the word beginning to take on a derogatory meaning as someone who is dull, and rigidly conventional. Over the next two decades, the meaning of the word did not improve. In 1971, The Observer called nerds, “people who don't live meaningful lives,” and The Chicago Tribune put it simply in 2002, “silicon valley”. Considering nerd is a slang word, the volatility of its meaning and usage is not surprising. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the meaning of the word is changing again. Behind the …show more content…

Despite their exclusivity to the average person, around the world there are many that are included. The result is a community that easily generates 10,000 comments a day on a popular article. The pride associated of being part of completely public yet exclusive community leads visitors to be self-proclaimed nerds. Nerds embrace their nerd qualities in many ways in many ways, such as buying apparel from the site.

While Slashdot provides a means for hardcore nerds to socialize, other blogs like Gizmodo and Engadget bring together a larger a broader nerd audience. The sites are both members of the top 5 most visited blogs worldwide, beating sites like PerezHilton and Gawker, by reporting on the cutting edge of consumer electronics. Consumer electronics (cell phones, laptops, televisions, etc.) are a growing part of life and that is what these sites attempt to capitalize on; it is no longer just grandma that doesn’t understand the differences between the newest flat-panel TVs. Unlike Slashdot, the articles found on these sites tell more of a back story and link to previous and relevant articles. It is specifically the emergence of the internet that has enabled these sites to make the most of the vested interest almost everyone has in technology. Engadget is at the forefront of unifying the “nerd” masses. Earlier this year the blog launched The Engadget Show, a monthly talk show which is recorded live in New York City. The show has packed the

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