In this episode, Liz and Heather discuss how today’s culture of social media has influenced every day communications and culture, and how it has brought about the rise of the nerd/hipster characteristic as a desirable trait.
REMINDER: Our next book club is coming up in a few episodes – Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Read it, or better yet, listen to the audio book narrated by Wil Wheaton.
In the 80s/90s, it was DEFINITELY NOT cool to be thought of as a nerd. Even if you had nerdy tendencies, you kept that shit to yourself. If not, you could count on being viciously mocked (publicly or behind your back) or worse, bullied. The world was a much smaller place, even when we finally got the Internet (Prodigy, AOL, AOL UNLIMITED!!, etc.).
Enter MYSPACE.
- The first time I remember hearing about MySpace was on an episode of Nip/Tuck (the Carver).
- The first time you could actively contact people you knew (or didn’t) without paying for a service like Classmates.com, etc. – This opened up a whole new realm of people to talk to. Maybe someone you haven’t seen since grade school.
- Cyber-stalking your Ex. Admit it. We’ve all done it and have been sublimely happy to see them suffer.
Then came FACEBOOK.
- Even MORE people to connect with, and no annoying music from every grunge band on the planet.
- You could talk to people, or not. Decorate a flair board, or not. Play games, instant message, etc.
TWITTER.
- Twitter was really a game changer for social media. A lot of push back about people talking about themselves, but it opened the lines of communication where they had never been. You could converse directly with a celebrity if you wanted! Yoko Ono and Kelsey Grammar used to follow me on Twitter! Now, I don’t know. I don’t pay attention.
- I once had a conversation with Johnny Galecki on Twitter (Leonard from Big Bang), until I realized he was dumb and the illusion was shattered.
- Wil Wheaton’s wife retweeted a picture of my niece with my dog!! What?? This is not something that was supposed to happen!
THE RISE OF THE NERD
- When exactly did it become cool to be a geek/nerd? At some point, there was a definite switch. At least for ADULT nerds.
- Does it work the same way in high school? Are nerds still outcasts? Or are they wearing bowties and everyone thinks its cool? I need to ask a teenager.
- Instant feedback – No more writing lame poetry into the abyss of a Blogger account. Now, you could see instantly how many people read, liked, or commented, and could adjust accordingly.
- Are nerds REALLY considered cool, or have we all just reached that don’t-give-a-shit age where we are who we are and fuck you if you don’t like it?
- Does social media sort out the different kind of nerds or lump them together?
- Musical theater geeks, band nerds, dorks,
- Fantasy Football – D&D for jocks… just sayin…
- How has this changed the fabric of our society? Or are the cool kids and bullies still running the show?
- Everyone wants to be a nerd – even if they aren’t. I’m talking to you, HIPSTERS!! Take off your stupid Jayne hat, dorky glasses, and ironic bow tie. If you wouldn’t be caught dead in such things as a teenager, why now? Who said it was cool? Was there a memo?
Recommendations
Heather: Pickelbacks – This is a whisky shot followed by a shot of pickle juice. They are completely delicious and awesome. We are going to make them for the next Boozylicious episode. We are also now implementing a rule that ALL book clubs after Ready Player One will include booze. Because booze.
Liz: Armada by Ernest Cline – This is the same guy who wrote Ready Player One (a book club episode). I love his references, especially to 80s pop culture icons, music, movies, and games. OH, but like Ready Player One, this one is best listened to as an audiobook, as it is also read by the hilarious Wil Wheaton! Check it out.
Bitch of the Week – “Share if you agree” posts on Facebook are driving Heather mad! Just because I don’t want to re-post your stupid post doesn’t mean I want puppies to die. You also cannot ask or buy for likes and shares on Facebook, so be forewarned. Also, don’t undermine our intelligence if our opinions do not align with yours.
Announcement: We are now selling t-shirts and merch with awesome designs created for us by the insanely talented Ofelia Williams! Keep an eye out on our Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook pages for the latest designs! Check out our store at www.zazzle.com/nerdybitchespodcast – One word of warning: you have to turn the content filter to OFF to find the good stuff, since apparently we are considered “PG-13”.