Popular Geek Culture
So this article PCMag has about "Geek Culture" was in my feed this morning on Slashdot. If you've got the five to ten minutes, I suggest you give it a quick read.The article dives into another view on geeks and how some may argue that it has hit the mainstream. This is a similar topic I wrote about a little while back.
Get It Right
More or less, I have to agree with the article; a lot of the "geek culture" that is dramatized in popular television shows or movies is really just ridiculous!Take for example the popular television show, 24. I was a fan, and I was very sad to see it go, but I would always laugh at their usage of technical terms. It would sound more or less like, "they've subnet'd our firewall and ping'd our VPN!" Which, if you're a technologist like myself, you would probably laugh, shake your head in disgust, and shrug it off. But on the other hand, 24 was a very successful show and entertained millions of viewers.
Geek Credentials
Okay sure, the term "geek" is up for debate. I'm not here to define what a geek really is or how you can determine if you are one or not. The term "geek" just seems to have become less offensive over the years and has become part of our culture.In response to Will Greenwald's view on the topic, I for one am not a gamer, though I can build a computer (actually, just installed a new video card on my parents' PC two days ago), I've written code on VAX, et cetera, et cetera. Am I a geek? I do believe so. But because a small percentage of people know what I'm talking about, that's why geek culture is truly not in the mainstream.
I think Greenwald got it pretty accurately when he said, "There is no thin line between geek culture and pop culture. There's a big, thick wall between the two". Geek culture never really was popular, a few things here and there are a bit more popular, but nothing in depth.
Geek Culture Will Never Die...or Be Popular | Will Greenwald | PCMag.com
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