Since the birth of the internet in the 1990s and the growth of public access to media fandoms, nerd culture has been on the rise. From millennials feeling the need to hide their unique interests in school to social media creating trends that highlight nerdom, nerd culture has begun to be accepted.
Over generations, nerd culture has grown into something new and different, but that does not erase the harm and history of the past. The definition of being a nerd is subjective and can differ from person to person. Social studies teacher Derrick Eszlinger believes that being a nerd depends on how focused someone is on a certain subject.
“I would say hyper fixation makes somebody a geek or a nerd,” Eszlinger said. “Like ‘Star Wars’ nerds, they’re hyper fixated on ‘Star Wars,’ and it comes out in their personality, the way they talk, the way they dress or the way they act.”
Senior Bonnie Dunham expressed her wishes for her childhood interests to be more accepted and popularized. Dunham has a passion for wolves and fantasy stories and has seen a lack of willingness for empathy or response from her peers.
“I definitely wished other people knew as much about them as me,” Dunham said. “I wanted to engage about it with more people.”
Similarly, growing up in the “boy band era,” social studies teacher Emily Haven experienced many awkward and sheltering scenarios due to her lack of interest in popular music. Haven loves country and choral music, but she had to hide her passion due to the bullying and pushback she experienced and witnessed from her peers.
“In second or third grade, I literally lied on a getting-to-know-you form at the beginning of the school year. It said ‘favorite musician’ or something like that. I wrote the Spice Girls, and I saved it,” Haven said. “My friend’s letter as a response to my form was, ‘That’s so interesting that you said the Spice Girls because yesterday, when we talked about them, you said you’d never heard of them before.’ Looking back as an adult now, obviously, I’m like, ‘That was dumb. It was music. Like, who cares?’”
Negative stereotypes are often made about nerds, which are further perpetuated by various media. In many classic high school movies, one of the main characters is a skinny, socially awkward character, usually sporting chunky glasses to accentuate their “nerdiness.”
An example of this is Mia Thermopolis in the 2001 Disney movie “The Princess Diaries.” First introduced as an outcast with ratty hair, acne and glasses, Thermopolis finds out that she is a princess and undergoes a makeover to make her fit the popular royalty archetype.
The pattern persists today, which sophomore Emily Fischer highlighted through the “trendy smart” persona that nerds are expected to fit in order to not be judged.
“The trendy smart is you have Bs and As, but then it’s not like you overachieve, constantly answering questions or constantly participating. The trendy nerd is you have a good grade in the class, but you don’t really participate that much,” Fischer said.
One harmful misconception associated with nerds freshman Reya Sharma has observed is that popular kids and nerds rarely mix, or that nerds are socially awkward and lack personality.
“They (nerds) had a bad reputation in the past that made people just think that they’re weird or nerdy, or they just act differently from how normal society would act,” Sharma said. “It’s not much of a difference. They’re still the same. We’re just more interested in certain things.”
The discrimination and hatred toward nerds that the media has created has harmed many in the nerd community. Today, however, this prejudice is being challenged.
Recently, social media has spotlighted positive nerd stereotypes, which has also helped nerdy interests gain in popularity. Junior Steven Tran noted that the resurgence of nerdy interests seems positive and people have started to embrace their nerdy interests.
“I think people like it just because it makes them feel more like themselves. They get to like whatever they like without being judged as much,” Tran said. “I think it’s more popular that way because people don’t care as much. People are happier with just being themselves.”
English teacher Daniel Eaton has observed that new fans can become a liability, however, and problems can arise when popularity of nerdy interests increase.
“If something that is part of a fandom becomes popular enough, sometimes the people who are handling the media of it don’t have the same context as those who have been in that community for a long time, and that can create almost a shift in what it actually is,” Eaton said.
Similarly, Tran has his mixed feelings about the rise in popularity of his childhood interest, Pokémon.
“It’s good because you’re expanding the people you can connect with and talk to about it. At the same time, it’s just annoying, because they’re probably the same people who made fun of you for it years ago,” Tran said.
Trends such as “senior backpacks” and “You need to nerd out” highlight individuals’ nerdy childhood interests by creating a light-hearted environment for peers to share what they love. Senior backpacks provide a creative avenue for seniors to purchase or reuse children’s backpacks to reminisce and connect with their younger self, creating a “full circle” moment.
“It’s so easy to retreat into what brought you joy back in your childhood, or even just a few years prior. It’s easy to want to go back to that and the happiness that you felt without having to worry about your future, or what’s coming next with college, or jobs, or anything of that sort,” Dunham said.
Many feel uplifted with nerd stereotypes of the past becoming something new and loved. Eaton believes social media is the reason for the resurgence and trends have allowed people who have devoted themselves to nerd culture to finally feel seen.
“I think with the increased reach of social media, there’s a lot of people who are finding their community through nerdy interests in social media as well,” Eaton said.
Social media, however, is not always a lighthearted space. After many trends blow up, hate can begin to spread. Past stereotypes can reemerge, and some participants and fellow nerds attempt to “gatekeep” their culture and experiences by picking and choosing who “gets to be a nerd” or who “qualifies.”
“I think it’s a double-edged sword. I mean, on the plus side of it, you can find profiles that have the same interest as you and you have a community through similar likes or interests,” Eszlinger said. “On the downside, it’s crazy how glued to the phone people are. I think it hurts in the sense that you can spread a dislike for other people’s interests so easily and quickly.”
Fischer feels that the rise of nerd culture undermines the damaging experiences of others.
“Honestly, it sort of frustrates me because before it was popular to be nerdy, you would get ridiculed so badly. Now that it’s popular, it’s sort of invalidating the bullying a lot of people went through for being, quote unquote, a nerd,” Fischer said. “There are pros and cons to everything, including this.”
For better or worse, media and trends have changed the way nerds are perceived and treated in today’s society, and creating a boundary for how people consume content on the internet is essential for a positive experience.
“I think skills need to be learned about how to choose when, where, how, and what we are allowing ourselves access to. That’s a skill that needs to be taught and cultivated,” Haven said. “If you can find ways to set boundaries and evaluate sources critically and all that kind of stuff, then I don’t think it’s evil. I think it can be really good. It’s just a matter of how you balance that.”
Regardless of the extent to which individuals are involved in nerd culture, there is no doubt that it has made its comeback. Trends and society have created a new take on what being a nerd is and how a nerd should be treated, and all one has to do is find where they fit in best.
“I don’t think anyone cares if you’re a nerd. Some people enjoy being around that type of crowd,” Tran said. “It just makes some person have more knowledge over certain interests, and I don’t think it really makes a difference anymore.”