Fan Expo Boston 2025: Should We Retire The Word Geek?
by Tito W. James
Geek Culture has become mainstream popular culture to the point where it’s worth asking: do we still need the word Geek? People who are interested in geek culture are as numerous as people who watch TV. Most people are using advanced technology in their daily lives worthy of a sci-fi story. Who isn’t a little geeky at this point?
The term “geek” used to be used as a pejorative for people who were smart, obsessive about niche subjects, and lacked social skills. While there is still plenty of social awkwardness, shyness or rudeness, these traits have very little to do with a person’s personal hobbies. There are sports fans who are downright unfashionable and and stylish people who are eyes deep in sci-fi, fantasy, anime, and video games.
The theme of this year’s Fan Expo Boston was all-inclusive fandom — meaning everything from Star Wars to Sailor Moon. People of all backgrounds, shapes, and sizes have been impacted positively by the creativity within geek culture. However, we’ve also seen the dangerous erosion of empathy, objective facts, and common courtesy with the dominance of high-tech industries and social media. So whether you identify as a geek or think the word has outlasted its use; it’s a geeked out world and we’re just living in it.