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The word geek is a term originally used to describe eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or obsessed with a hobby or pursuit. In the past, it had a generally meaning of a "peculiar person, especially one who is perceived to be overly intellectual, unfashionable, boring, or socially awkward". In the 21st century, it was and used by many people, especially members of some , as a positive term. Are 'geek' and 'nerd' now positive terms? - BBC News Geek Is Now A Praiseword, Not An Insult Apparently - Forbes The transformation of the word geek - Columbia Journalism Review

Some use the term self-referentially without malice or as a source of pride,

(2014). 9781452140483, Chronicle Books. .
often referring simply to "someone who is interested in a subject (usually intellectual or complex) for its own sake".


Etymology
The word comes from geek or geck (meaning a "fool" or ""; from Middle Low German Geck). Geck is a standard term in modern German and means "fool" or "fop". The root also survives in the and gek ("crazy"), as well as some , like the Alsatian word Gickeleshut ("'s hat"; used during carnival). In 18th century , Gecken were freaks on display in some . In 19th century North America, the term geek referred to a performer in a in a circus, traveling carnival or travelling funfair (see also ). The 1976 edition of the American Heritage Dictionary included only the definition regarding geek shows. This is the sense of "geek" in William Lindsay Gresham's 1946 novel Nightmare Alley, twice adapted for the screen in 1947 and 2021.


Definitions
The 1975 edition of the American Heritage Dictionary, published a decade before the Digital Revolution, gave only one definition: "Geek noun,. 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."

The term has a similar, practically synonymous meaning as geek, but many choose to identify different connotations among these two terms, although the differences are disputed. In a 2007 interview on The Colbert Report, Richard Clarke said the difference between nerds and geeks is "geeks get it done" or "ggid". The Colbert Report 17th of January video interview Richard Clarke 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 as —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."


Impact
Technologically oriented geeks, in particular, now exert a powerful influence over the global economy and society. 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. President met with Facebook's 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". At the time, Zuckerberg's company had grown to over one billion users.

According to the rise of the geek represents a new phase of human evolution. In his book, he suggests that "the high-tech environment of the favours people with geek-like traits, many of whom are on the , , or . Previously, such people may have been at a disadvantage, but now their unique cognitive traits enable some of them to resonate with the new technological and become very successful."

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."


Fashion
" 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 black horn-rimmed glasses or , /braces, and . 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 as and Justin Timberlake. Meanwhile, in the sports world, many players wore "geek glasses" during , drawing comparisons to .

The term "geek chic" was appropriated by some self-identified "geeks" to refer to a new, socially acceptable role in a technologically advanced society.


See also


Further reading

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