Geek is Chic

For years, being a geek or a nerd was often cast in a negative light. Society often saw those of us that gamed, read comics, or watched anime in a negative light. But with the advent of digital technology, things began to change. As the world grew more connected and as people quickly gained access to the rest of the world through the internet, perceptions began to change. In short, Geek is Chic.

Society has, for the most part, stopped separating people in the cliques which dominated the times before the digital age. Technology has been improving in every area, but especially in video games. This shift has people who wouldn’t touch a game murking noobs on Call of Duty or dominating Candy Crush. You would be hard pressed to find anyone that does not play video games of some form.

But there’s more to it than that. Marvel has done a fantastic job with their Cinematic Universe of bringing superheroes into the mainstream. Now people who would have never considered it are going out and buying comic books so that they can find out about all the various characters and hidden Easter Eggs within the MCU.

Also due to the rise in body awareness, many of these same geeks for years now have had gym memberships. What comic book movies, video games, the internet, and yes even gym memberships have done is allow Geeks and non-geeks to connect over things they never expected to have in common. This also allows them to expand their interest as the connections introduce them to all the various new things within the different worlds of the individuals who are connecting.

Millennials have some of the most eclectic interests due to the invention of smartphones, the internet, and social media during our adolescence. Millenials have grown in some very odd ways that have largely not been seen previously. As time goes on one can only see that things will progress as they already have. The question is, what will go mainstream next? Roleplaying games? Anime is also a strong contender. Only time will tell.