Nerds Vs. Geeks

Geek chic may be in, but nerds are still uncool, says Lori Kendall, researcher from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

She helpfully differentiates between geeks and nerds using the “PC v. Mac” debate. See, Mac users are cool geeks, who are computer-savvy without being seen as lame. PC users are the nerds, the (specifically) white males who can’t dress themselves but still know CBASIC like the back of their hand. Sadly, the stigma of being a nerd hasn’t died, even though everyone is suddenly wearing “nerd” glasses and dressing geek chic: “‘Nerd’ is a stickier term that is applied to people in a more negative way, ‘Geek’ is something you can do and then leave behind, but ‘nerd’ is what you are,” Kendall says. [EurekAlert]