Participating in cultural, subcultural or countercultural communities can be a good antidote to conformity. Geeks (or “geeks”), who are often caricatured, can be described as a group that has an interest in peculiar styles of cultural consumption, and also combines a strong sense of individuality with a special sense of belonging. What do these people’s minds have in common?
Being a geek or a geek is not a fad.
The first documented use of the word “geek” was in 1916, when it was used to describe carnival monsters in circuses, and generally referred to all things strange, eccentric, extravagant, or simply unusual or out of the ordinary. normal.
However, when we talk about the geek or geek subculture, the real story is completely different. Generally speaking, a geek is a person who has an unconventional hobby or interest in which they invest a lot of time and attention, so much so that it can end up becoming a way of life.
In recent years, sociology and other social sciences have become increasingly interested in this community of people who are easily identifiable despite their diverse tastes. But the question remains: What secrets does a geek’s mind hold?
There is no doubt that each human brain is unique and dynamic, and that our brains change as we go through different stages of life. However, despite this capacity for individual change, all communities have particular tendencies or aspects that the majority of their members share. In the case of geeks, their hobbies and consumption habits give us clues about where to start looking: comics, role-playing games, fantasy literature and science fiction … Geeks enjoy letting their minds run free, they fantasize about worlds fictitious. They empower imagination and creativity. Characters and events come to life, and we can travel to a simulated society that we like or dislike the people in it, for example. This sense of traveling and learning, along with aesthetic pleasure and the value of entertainment, is one of the reasons why fiction exists. And it is the aspect with the greatest weight in the minds of geeks, who want to imagine, build possible worlds, inhabit them and extend them beyond the limits of the narrative.
Today, therefore, we take a tour of the most geek / geek characters in the world, delving into both those we remember from the world of fiction and those who have left or are leaving their mark as strongholds of geekism.
