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2018 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

1. How Was the Nerd or Geek Born?

Author : Kathryn E. Lane

Published in: Age of the Geek

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

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Abstract

Lane offers an evolution of the nerd/geek stereotype through the present day, utilizing a historical retrospective of media. The birth of the “nerd” stereotype is directly connected to television and, through analysis of media through the decades, the nerd/geek’s evolution is chronicled, leading to the twentieth-century construct so easily recognized today. The nerd has evolved from its humble beginnings as a social outcast, as depicted in 1978’s Saturday Night Live episodes, into a mainstream character, as demonstrated on The Big Bang Theory, which is ripe for analysis and study. Lane theorizes that the nerd/geek stereotype, more than any other, reveals Western culture’s complex relationship with a world dominated by technology.

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Title: How Was the Nerd or Geek Born?
Author: Kathryn E. Lane
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Book: Age of the Geek
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-65743-1

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-319-65744-8

Copyright Year: 2018
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65744-8_1