What is a geek? That is the right meaning

In the past, geeks were considered lonely outsiders and nerds, today the term can be heard almost everywhere. This is why we explain in this practical tip what a geek really is and how it differs from the nerd.

Simply explained: these are geeks

Thanks to series such as Big Bang Theory, which spread geek and nerd clichés on the one hand, but also celebrate on the other hand, geekyness is more chic than ever. But a comic reference on the shirt alone doesn't make you a geek.

• In general, geeks are people who stand out because of your strong interest in a topic and the associated knowledge of it - sometimes also unpleasant.
• Unlike nerds - the boundaries are fluid - they do not withdraw to deal with their areas of interest alone, but celebrate them in public to share their enthusiasm.
• This goes from numerous references in language use to fan clothes and large collections of fan articles on conventions and cosplay.
• It is essential that in addition to the striking enthusiasm, the areas of interest themselves fall into niches that appear suspect to the mainstream or appeared earlier. For example, role and video games, comics or fantasy and science fiction in general.
• If a fan from BVB has decorated a room or even an entire apartment with fan articles from the sports club and generally shows geek-like enthusiasm for football, he is still not a geek.
• Football and sport in general have always been socially recognized hobbies, whereas geek was previously only meant negatively and referred to outsiders.
• That has changed. From one cliché to another, geek and nerd are still considered pejorative in the sports world, since these people are said to be unsportsmanlike and unattractive. In other areas, such as technology and culture, being geek has long become a trend.
• This is not least due to the fact that many geek topics have become much more popular. Superheroes, for example, run regularly in cinemas and video games are the most successful medium ever. This gives the geeks of the early hours many opportunities to share their enthusiasm.

Hand in hand with geeks there are always nerds who are similar in many ways to the geeks - not least because people often have more than one trait. We explain exactly what nerds are and where the differences are from the geek.