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The wordgeek is aslang term originally used to describeeccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert orenthusiast obsessed with a hobby orintellectual pursuit. In the past, it had a generallypejorative meaning of a "peculiar person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual, unfashionable, boring, or socially awkward".[1] In the 21st century, it wasreclaimed and used by many people, especially members of somefandoms, as a positive term.[2][3][4]
Some use the term self-referentially without malice or as a source of pride,[5] often referring simply to "someone who is interested in a subject (usually intellectual or complex) for its own sake".
The word comes fromEnglish dialectgeek orgeck (meaning a "fool" or "freak"; fromMiddle Low GermanGeck[6]). The root also survives in theDutch andAfrikaansadjectivegek ("crazy"), as well as someGerman dialects, like theAlsatian wordGickeleshut ("jester's hat"; used during carnival).[1] In 18th centuryAustria,Gecken were freaks on display in somecircuses. In 19th century North America, the termgeek referred to a performer in ageek show in a circus,traveling carnival ortravelling funfairsideshows (see alsofreak show).[7] The 1976 edition of theAmerican Heritage Dictionary included only the definition regarding geek shows.[clarification needed] This is the sense of "geek" inWilliam Lindsay Gresham's 1946 novelNightmare Alley, twice adapted for the screen in 1947 and 2021.
The 1975 edition of the American Heritage Dictionary, published a decade before theDigital Revolution, gave only one definition: "Geek [noun, slang]. A carnival performer whose act usually consists of biting the head off a live chicken or snake." The tech revolution found new uses for this word, but it still often conveys a derogatory sting. In 2017, Dictionary.com gave five definitions, the fourth of which is "a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts, as biting off the head of a live chicken."[8]
The termnerd has a similar, practically synonymous meaning as geek, but many choose to identify different connotations among these two terms, although the differences are disputed.[9] In a 2007 interview onThe Colbert Report,Richard Clarke said the difference between nerds and geeks is "geeks get it done" or "ggid".[10]Julie Smith defined a geek as "a bright young man turned inward, poorly socialized, who felt so little kinship with his own planet that he routinely traveled to the ones invented by his favorite authors, who thought of that secret, dreamy place his computer took him to ascyberspace—somewhere exciting, a place more real than his own life, a land he could conquer, not a drab teenager's room in his parents' house."[11]
Technologically oriented geeks, in particular, now exert a powerful influence over the global economy and society.[12] Whereas previous generations of geeks tended to operate in research departments, laboratories and support functions, now they increasingly occupy senior corporate positions, and wield considerable commercial and political influence. When U.S. PresidentBarack Obama met with Facebook'sMark Zuckerberg and the CEOs of the world's largest technology firms at a private dinner in Woodside, California on February 17, 2011,New York magazine ran a story titled "The world's most powerful man meets President Obama".[13] At the time, Zuckerberg's company had grown to over one billion users.
According toMark Roeder the rise of the geek represents a new phase of human evolution. In his book,Unnatural Selection: Why The Geeks Will Inherit The Earth[14] he suggests that "the high-tech environment of theAnthropocene favours people with geek-like traits, many of whom are on theautism spectrum or haveADHD ordyslexia. Previously, such people may have been at a disadvantage, but now their unique cognitive traits enable some of them to resonate with the new technologicalzeitgeist and become very successful."
The Economist magazine observed, on June 2, 2012, "Those square pegs (geeks) may not have an easy time in school. They may be mocked by jocks and ignored at parties. But these days no serious organisation can prosper without them."[15]
"Geek chic" refers to a minor fashion trend that arose in the mid 2000s (decade), in which young people adopted "geeky" fashions, such as oversized blackhorn-rimmed glasses orbrowline glasses,suspenders/braces, andcapri pants. The glasses quickly became the defining aspect of the trend, with the media identifying various celebrities as "trying geek" or "going geek" for wearing such glasses, such asDavid Beckham andJustin Timberlake. Meanwhile, in the sports world, manyNBA players wore "geek glasses" duringpost-game interviews, drawing comparisons toSteve Urkel.[16][17]
The term "geek chic" was appropriated by some self-identified "geeks" to refer to a new, socially acceptable role in a technologically advanced society.[18]
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