Happyme_small
Reputation: 1166
Moderator

Is there really a difference between "nerd" and "geek"?

I'd like to revisit this year old (age old, really) topic with the panel of experts.

7 Answers

  • N560099571_5781_small
    Reputation: 171

    This is the most accurate diagram I've seen so far:

    http://www.buzzfeed.com/scott/nerd-venn-diagram

    I'm comfortably in the "geek" shading.

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  • 10-03-03_054_small
    Reputation: 14

    The obligatory
    http://xkcd.com/747/

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  • Img_0733_small
    Reputation: 105

    Yes, there is a difference.

    Nerd:

    -an insignificant student who is ridiculed as being affected or boringly studious
    -an intelligent but single-minded expert in a particular technical field or profession
    -A person who, although having good technical or scientific skills, is introspective and generally introverted

    Geek

    -The word geek is a slang term, noting individuals as "a peculiar or otherwise odd person, especially one who is perceived to be overly obsessed with one or more things including those of intellectuality, electronics, etc. ...
    -An expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers; The subculture of geeks; an esoteric subject of interest that is marginal to the social mainstream; the philosophy, events, and physical artifacts of geeks
    -Geek is a common term for someone who is obsessed by their computer, and has achieved a high level of expertise in their chosen area.

    However an easier way to remember the difference would be:

    You are a nerd. Nick is a geek.

    ZING!

    http://www.wikihow.com/Tell-the-Difference-Between-Nerds-and-Geeks

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  • Img_3324_2_small
    Reputation: 1962

    Even if there is a difference, most people don't know what the difference is, exactly. Or they disagree about it.

    So they're kind of skunked terms and you'd be better off being specific and descriptive about someone rather than just labeling them. It's also more interesting to read a description than a label.

    That goes for hipster too. Labels are conversation stoppers and thought stoppers.

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  • Sacri_ordines_by_charism_small
    Reputation: 3723

    Only to those who aren't either.

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  • Imgp0063_small
    Reputation: 348
    Moderator

    I think there's a difference, but most of the time it isn't that important. Within the geek/nerd world the difference is like the other answers said, nerd is more academic and introverted, while a geek is highly interested in one specific field (a computer geek, a film geek, a music geek, a gamer geek, etc.), though you hear it mostly being applied to computer geeks. However, outside of their technical definitions I think the main difference is how they're perceived; "geek" tends to seem more positive and self-identifiable while "nerd" still has some negative connotations. A good example of how people perceive geeks vs. nerds would be the characters in the Mac vs. PC commercials; look at the screenshot in the sidebar: the PC guy is a typical nerd, kind of a loser, dorky-looking, unstylish and socially awkward, while the Mac guy is your modern geek, someone who's more hip and confident. In reality, they're both probably geeks and both nerds, but "geek" is something that spawned it's own culture that attempt to shed the "nerd" image.

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  • Hair_hipstamatic_small
    Reputation: 1711

    I've always understood a nerd to be someone who is book smart, into school, perhaps smarter about books than social stuff, but not necessarily bad at socializing. Nerds are usually introverts. (By this definition I am, and always have been, a total nerd.)

    To be a geek, you have to be a geek about something. Many geeks are into computers/technology/video games, but you can also be a film geek or a theater geek or an art geek or whatever. The point is that you're really into something, on a level that most people aren't. Geeks are not necessarily introverted, but if they get too obsessive about whatever they're into, they can have trouble making friends with non-geeks who are turned off by their singular interest(s). (By this definition I'm an art geek, perhaps.)

    I know you didn't ask about dorks, but I'll go ahead and give my two cents on that as well. A dork is someone who either isn't aware of or doesn't care about social norms. They don't act the way they're supposed to in social situations. A lot of times these people are class clowns, and have tons of friends. Other times they're just socially awkward.

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