Defragmenting Computer Geeks

Defragmenting Computer Geeks

What constitutes a computer geek? Take a second to formulate an image of what a computer geek is. What does he/she look, act, and sound like?

Mark is currently enrolled at JMU, and this is his second semester away from home at college. Mark, a skinny pale Caucasian male has his face two inches away from the computer monitor. He is playing the most up to date popular Star Trek video game on his newly acquired Pentium 5 processor. Ring Ring Ring….the phone rang, his eyes still fixated on the screen, he adjusts his glasses, and then went back to his game while the ringing had stopped.

The first five words that popped into my head when picturing a computer geek were Caucasian, skinny, antisocial, timid, and glasses. The thoughts running through my mind were typical stereotypes of a nerd and a geek. In my definition, a computer geek is an outcast of society whom are obsessed by computers and everything that has to do with technology. The reason I depicted a geek in such a physically weak manner is from stereotypes that I acquired through high school up until the present. From elementary school to high school the so-called “popular” kids were always bullying around the intelligent, who were typically skinny, weak, and introverted. Their skin would have no pigment and pale because they never get enough sunlight. Geeks and nerds are very smart compared to the average and often have glasses on because of their damaged eyes from the bright monitor. In the intro, I pictured that he did not pick up the phone, which shows that the geek is antisocial and caught up in the game. He would most likely act strange and awkward in social situations.

After I read the Luddite vs. Fetishist article and learned the term of fetishist, I have always pictured the “computer geek” as an introverted and anti-social character (Henderson 36). I am obviously stereotyping against people with introverted personalities. My opinion of an outgoing person is one who interacts in social events rather than sitting alone in front of a piece of machinery, wasting his or her life away playing games, and browsing the web. My assumption may be because of the act of sitting in front of a computer, it is an antisocial non-interactive act rather than a social activity like shooting pool, and conversing over the dinner table.