It is an undeniable fact that the society of today was not remotely the same as it was sixty years ago. From the beginning to the end of said years, changes in how and where people live, the way they socialize, and the way they think is prevalent and becomes the majority when viewing society/culture as a whole. From said majority there are exceptions, some having different ways of living, socialize and think; these exceptions are recognized as subcultures. The term, “Nerd,” is one of the more distinctive subcultures in history. The original term describes an individual who is,”A person considered to be socially awkward, boring, unstylish, etc….an intelligent but single-minded person obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit” (Dictionary.com
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From the past, media the typical nerd would indulg in consisted of little-known or arcane subject matter; long form roleplaying board games like Dungeons & Dragons, Action figures, Comic books, etc. As time moved on to the present day, this media is revealed by mainstream society; multi-million dollar movie franchises about comic books, an entire industry for rare collectable action figures, and pieces of television media reveling on the nerd culture the way it was when the term first started with shows like Stranger Things, changing the definition of the word nerd into an individual who just likes the new trends, ironically creating the opposite meaning of the original definition. From the word nerd being changed due to the media's involvement, an underlying reason as to why the original definition of nerd has been made vague is due to something people of mainstream society did, along with the media; individuality. Wanting to be recognizable and distinct opposed to the majority of society is a concept that most strive for. To be perceived as someone different and interesting clearly could not be achieved through the content of the mainstream media. The search for individuality lead to a portion of society stumbling upon nerd culture. As more and more of the mainstream wanted to indulge into the world of the nerd, dilution occurred. An individual wanting to stand out of the water pond, eventually jumping back into a different pond with similar
From the past, media the typical nerd would indulg in consisted of little-known or arcane subject matter; long form roleplaying board games like Dungeons & Dragons, Action figures, Comic books, etc. As time moved on to the present day, this media is revealed by mainstream society; multi-million dollar movie franchises about comic books, an entire industry for rare collectable action figures, and pieces of television media reveling on the nerd culture the way it was when the term first started with shows like Stranger Things, changing the definition of the word nerd into an individual who just likes the new trends, ironically creating the opposite meaning of the original definition. From the word nerd being changed due to the media's involvement, an underlying reason as to why the original definition of nerd has been made vague is due to something people of mainstream society did, along with the media; individuality. Wanting to be recognizable and distinct opposed to the majority of society is a concept that most strive for. To be perceived as someone different and interesting clearly could not be achieved through the content of the mainstream media. The search for individuality lead to a portion of society stumbling upon nerd culture. As more and more of the mainstream wanted to indulge into the world of the nerd, dilution occurred. An individual wanting to stand out of the water pond, eventually jumping back into a different pond with similar