Anyone else sick of this? (nerd shame)

[NSOV]

Hi guys, I'm back. Sorry I was away for so long. Sometimes I even forget I'm signed up to this website!

Now, if any of you remember, in my thread about the origin of SA (below), I talked about how I was perceived as childish and nerdy through my teen years, and how it made me feel insecure as a person and left me mostly friendless:

http://www.social-anxiety-community....ad.php?t=80798

In the thread, I also mentioned how it became annoying how nerdy trends suddenly became more popular than ever online throughout and after my university years, and how it made me hate society for being hypocritical. One minute, nerds are mocked... and now, it's cool to be a nerd!

But you know what? I know this may sound weird because it makes me look hypocritical, but I'm actually getting sick of nerd culture. In fact, I feel as though nerd culture is now becoming shockingly juvenile, and it's getting worse every day.

Examples of what I'm talking about: YouTube's insane gaming culture, YouTube "challenges" and trends, memes, overusage of hashtags and emojis, how everything has to have a "fandom", obsession over childhoods and nostalgia, "life hacks", lowest-common-denominator websites like BuzzFeed, practical jokes, everything is considered offensive or has to start silly social media debates... and more. Much more.

So... is anyone else getting at least a little sick at how low we are stooping as a society? It makes me ashamed to be nerdy when nerd culture has taken such a sad and shallow nosedive! I actually miss a time now when being a nerd just meant being fond of fantasy and/or science fiction and having a love of knowledge, creativity and eccentric things.

Back in school, I was ashamed to be a nerd. I hoped that after growing up, I'd be comfortable with being a nerd, but now, I'm actually even less comfortable. Speaking of the video gaming community, when comedian Jimmy Kimmel made a relatively light-hearted video where he made fun of them (here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji9KmXwrA5Y) the whole gaming community - which is made up of mostly people my age - flew off the handle and responded very immaturely instead of simply shrugging it off. This is what I'm talking about. Everything seems so immature and over-the-top.

I had hoped I was making progress with my SA but evidence like this makes me less and less motivated to go out and make more friends. It makes me wonder why I should bother, when so much of society, especially my generation, is getting increasingly stupid and juvenile by the day?

[Pandapop]

Maybe you should take your own advice and simply shrug it off?

All of the things you named still happened before social media in some way, just social media and the internet makes things move very fast that it usually would.
People like what they want and shouldn't be judged for doing so. All the things you named bring people together who have the same interests and I don't see how that's a bad thing.

[umm]

And - wham! - you're old.

Seriously though, for starters, thinking this doesn't make you a hypocrite; that assertion is a little short-sighted, overlooking as it does the passage of time, and the growth and change of personality as a result. People accuse others of "hypocrisy" and "flip-flopping" and "not having passion" for what, having the temerity to not be the same throughout their lives? It's pretty daft when you think about it. So: feel no guilt.

Nerd culture is actually not related to nerds themselves much at all, in my opinion. All those hashtags and internet fights? That's just people being - young and mildly irritating, I suppose. Nerd culture is actually kind of an oxymoron, as a culture is a set of ideas held by a collection of people, and a nerd is often a bit of a loner, not given to mass cultural production. Being a nerd is about having a niche interest as you say. Listen to me, falling over myself to define what is or isn't a nerd. What a dweeb.

I'm a grown-up. I have a family, investments, a well-paid job. But some of what you describe, well, I find it rather sweet. Life hacks are quite fun and inventive and rely heavily on the notion of reuse. Emojis - yeah, ok, I agree there - but, as for everyone being offended and stooping low, that's just part of being young and finding one's way in the world, trying on new masks. All I can advise is that you keep your inner geek alive, & don't look to the Daily Mail for your answers.

[SpaceMonkey]

The internet has just developed its own type of culture. New words, new ways of communicating, its own in-jokes and even history. Not to mention its own sub-cultures which of course leads to fighting between them.

As someone who grew up with it (I'm in my 30's but happened to be an early adopter to the net). It just seems normal to me.

It's definitely had a side effect of making geek chic though. It can be a little annoying. Annoying like when the band you love suddenly makes it mainstream and everyone suddenly loves them. I like to see it as actually a good thing though. Geek/Nerd culture now makes serious money so in turn you see more of it around. Look at all the sci-fi TV shows or superhero movies. I remember a time not that long ago when you'd be lucky to get 2-3 things a year to watch.

It's not all good. Like you said, the Internet also acts like a huge echo chamber. Especially since Twitter arrived on the scene.

Personally, I love been able to just enjoy more of what I've always loved, and be able to proudly show it off without feeling isolated or shamed. Long may it continue!

[pheys]

surely this isn't a bad thing?
growing up I too was rather nerdy but now I can talk about the things I love to most people without them sneering

be happy

[Concept]

I feel more of a disconnect than I used to, but I wouldn't say I'm "sick" of nerd culture (well, outside of the over-reliance on memes, but that's been the case since forever).

[Nostracarmus]

Sheep gonna sheep.

The worst part of it for me is now they have become the in crowd, they now use it as a stick to beat people with.

A sense of superiority is just awful in anyone. I feel like I need to remind them how shit it was to be a nerd when I was and to show a little dignity.

[black_mamba]

Originally Posted by NSOV

I had hoped I was making progress with my SA but evidence like this makes me less and less motivated to go out and make more friends. It makes me wonder why I should bother, when so much of society, especially my generation, is getting increasingly stupid and juvenile by the day?

Interesting thread topic and discussion.

I get why you're feeling that way. I see teenagers wearing GEEK t-shirts go on to make fun of traits commonly associated with nerds, it makes me wince. And I've plenty of examples of things I've loved and been made fun of for, to go on and become wildly popular trends as I've gotten older. It used to make me feel extremely bitter.

The thing is you can't live by what other people are doing. If they're all enjoying something that doesn't detract from your enjoyment of it, even if the way they enjoy it is totally different.

Doesn't every generation thinks their youth is becoming dumber? When the radio became popular didn't detractors think that it would make us dumber? And the same when TV was invented wasn't it similar? I don't know much about history at all, but it seems to me that every generation gets a little wound up about society becoming more immature and more brazen. I don't know why this happens, it's just a pattern. Maybe that's more about a resistance to technology than anything else but I find echos of it whenever I have thoughts similar to yours.

Maybe you're only looking at evidence to support your distaste of how self-proclaimed nerds behave. To me, being a nerd is about a passion for knowledge, and there are plenty of people who exhibit that trait everywhere. They exist in abundance, and not just online. Actually, most hardcore nerds I know do not call themselves nerds. When someone makes a big song and dance about them being oh so nerdy, I wonder what they're trying to prove (or they're secretly ashamed about it and are seeking approval).

Youtube and the Internet in general is heaven for me. I've been able to dive deep into stuff I'd not really have access to otherwise (yes there are libraries, and I love them and still use them, but there's no beating a good documentary or podcast). I've recently learnt about archaeology, science, wildlife, story-telling, painting, anatomy, psychology...all via documentaries or videos on YouTube. I love it! Yes it's also full of attention-seeking vids or stuff that invites participation, debate and community geeking out, but I don't watch videos like that I find them boring.

I used to work with teenagers and the few that made a big deal out of being nerds where sometimes the least [classically] nerdy of all. They were often gamers and yet would turn their nose up at other topics (so they lacked that natural curiousity about everything that to me typifies a nerdy person).

Occasionally I'd meet a quiet young lad or girl who wanted to talk non-stop about a particular novel they'd just read, or about military history or about how planes worked or geography or some other interest. It was really refreshing to see. You could see quite clearly their body language change when I asked them to tell me more.

Trust me, there are more subdued, laid-back 'nerds' out there, young and old. Have hope.

[HiImJen123]

I agree with you. I'm part of this generation and despite thinking I'm a bit of a nerd myself, I feel very disconnected from this new nerdy culture.

[NSOV]

Thanks for the comments. I'll respond to some of them later.

[Jim S]

You shouldn't be ashamed. I mean - games are great - the characters, the story lines, the design of everything. It's a fine art and it's bigger than the film industry for a reason.

That said, I hit my 20s and I chucked my 360 when it got the ring of death after not even a year (which really pissed me off) and I vowed never to spend out on another console again. Then I did a games development unit on a level 4 course and it put me right off haha

I still enjoy a quick play every now and then on the laptop or PC, but it's not the same as it used to be. I wouldn't spend big bucks on anything, I just get old games on Steam every now and then. I got beguiled and drawn into other hobbies when I started driving. It's accelerated now that I'm a bit older and my SA/other issues have got better.

And yeah...the obsession with everything on Youtube drives me nuts...If it comes up in my suggestions I flap about and swear at the computer :p My niece is 6 and she sits watching people play Minecraft all day on her tablet!!! I've got two friends I went to college with that I never see because they spend all day and all night playing MOBA type games and never leave the house. It's like they have no idea that there's a world beyond the front door. It's seriously screwed up. I think they've taken this gamer culture thing too far. I went to Eurogamer last year (was a trip organised by the Uni) and it was just pityful - I think that was the crushing blow for me. I don't wanna be like that.

Each to their own I suppose. As long as people are happy, it doesn't matter.

[Nostracarmus]

My son is the same.

I admittedly got into a few of the channels though. Some of them are very entertaining to be fair!

[NSOV]

Originally Posted by MLP James

I just thought; things like challenges, memes, hashtags, and all that stuff aren't really nerd things, and the people using them aren't trying to be nerds. That's really just doing the fun popular thing that everyone else is doing, which isn't necessarily bad of course.

However, to me, it does kind of show the downfall of society, in a way. People doing things just to fit in, easily amused by silly things.

Maybe I'm just a snob. In fact, I actually regret making this thread. I feel like I came across as a smug, elitist prick. Sorry.

By the way, with the Jimmy Kimmel thing... sorry but I disagree, that outburst from the gaming community was very unnecessary and childish. He made fun of gamers I agree, but there are far more impolite comedians out there. Jack Dee for example, moans about everyone and everything. Adam Buckley is a self-proclaimed asshole. Dave Chappelle has loads of nasty jokes. George Carlin never held his tongue. Compared to those four comedians, Kimmel's gamer jokes are light-hearted.

[NSOV]

Originally Posted by HiImJen123

I agree with you. I'm part of this generation and despite thinking I'm a bit of a nerd myself, I feel very disconnected from this new nerdy culture.

Yeah, there is a sense of disconnection. That's because of I'm not as nerdy as most nerds are. I'm not inside a nerdy bubble, and I don't get worked up when a show I used to like as a kid gets remade, or a cash-in movie adaptation gets announced. Right now, a lot of people are getting angered by the Angry Birds movie trailer. Angered by a movie trailer for a children's film. Acting like it's the end of the world.

[redcard]

Originally Posted by NSOV

Yeah, there is a sense of disconnection. That's because of I'm not as nerdy as most nerds are. I'm not inside a nerdy bubble, and I don't get worked up when a show I used to like as a kid gets remade, or a cash-in movie adaptation gets announced. Right now, a lot of people are getting angered by the Angry Birds movie trailer. Angered by a movie trailer for a children's film. Acting like it's the end of the world.

When you say a lot of people, you probably mean a tiny minority of people on Twitter, which is an even tinier minority of the total population. The issue is that people feel a need to react against those with extreme opinions, rather than just dismiss those on the grounds they're not representative of the general feeling.

[LonelyBoy]

Originally Posted by NSOV

Hi guys, I'm back. Sorry I was away for so long. Sometimes I even forget I'm signed up to this website!

Now, if any of you remember, in my thread about the origin of SA (below), I talked about how I was perceived as childish and nerdy through my teen years, and how it made me feel insecure as a person and left me mostly friendless:

http://www.social-anxiety-community....ad.php?t=80798

In the thread, I also mentioned how it became annoying how nerdy trends suddenly became more popular than ever online throughout and after my university years, and how it made me hate society for being hypocritical. One minute, nerds are mocked... and now, it's cool to be a nerd!

But you know what? I know this may sound weird because it makes me look hypocritical, but I'm actually getting sick of nerd culture. In fact, I feel as though nerd culture is now becoming shockingly juvenile, and it's getting worse every day.

Examples of what I'm talking about: YouTube's insane gaming culture, YouTube "challenges" and trends, memes, overusage of hashtags and emojis, how everything has to have a "fandom", obsession over childhoods and nostalgia, "life hacks", lowest-common-denominator websites like BuzzFeed, practical jokes, everything is considered offensive or has to start silly social media debates... and more. Much more.

So... is anyone else getting at least a little sick at how low we are stooping as a society? It makes me ashamed to be nerdy when nerd culture has taken such a sad and shallow nosedive! I actually miss a time now when being a nerd just meant being fond of fantasy and/or science fiction and having a love of knowledge, creativity and eccentric things.

Back in school, I was ashamed to be a nerd. I hoped that after growing up, I'd be comfortable with being a nerd, but now, I'm actually even less comfortable. Speaking of the video gaming community, when comedian Jimmy Kimmel made a relatively light-hearted video where he made fun of them (here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji9KmXwrA5Y) the whole gaming community - which is made up of mostly people my age - flew off the handle and responded very immaturely instead of simply shrugging it off. This is what I'm talking about. Everything seems so immature and over-the-top.

I had hoped I was making progress with my SA but evidence like this makes me less and less motivated to go out and make more friends. It makes me wonder why I should bother, when so much of society, especially my generation, is getting increasingly stupid and juvenile by the day?

That's nostalgia! And hypocrisy. In just one sentence, too.

[ynwa247]

It was sped up by social media and how accessible they are from multiple devices. I'm directly in that generation, though I don't have any social media accounts.

[Oddity]

Personally I'm glad nerdism is popular, at least I can be myself without people saying gaming is childish, or being in IT is sad. I still feel a bit ashamed but that's just my hard coded fear of being judged.

When people ask me about what I do I internally go There was none of this before the Matrix

[Z.]

Nerdiness is often associated with intellectual and aesthetic curiosity and liveliness. If someone criticises you for that, then that reveals a lot about them and their low-brow, philistine nature.

**** them and their moronic opinions.