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Earlier quoted context omitted.
> has just gone mainstream Care to provide some examples? Most "nerd" interests like SciFi have been neutered if not completely bent out of shape while going mainstream.
The term "MCU" being in the common cultral lexicon.
Kudos to Disney that was able to completely ruin it in just a decade.
I think that nerd culture has just gone mainstream. It's far from dying.
Indeed. And "real" nerd culture has just became deeper, and more specialized. Back in the day, a lot of the nerds were into the same type of things, while now there are sub-groups. Some nerds are anime-nerds, others are programming-nerds, and not every programming-nerd is an anime-nerd, and vice-versa. And the amount of nerd-sub groups is huge, every quarter or so I encounter a nerdy topic and sub-group I had no idea…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The term "MCU" being in the common cultral lexicon.
except since phase 4 MCU is now definitely a synonym for "boring, neutered, ill-concived, weak, pale shadow of former self, stuff° Kudos to Disney that was able to completely ruin it in just a decade.
I believe there is no counter culture in the west anymore. It is mainstream to be subversive, and so there is little to no subversiveness left
Because of this, a lot of cultural products made sure that the "nerds" felt the heroes of their own stories, making them cool in pop culture.
That being said, I always considered a crucial characteristic of a nerd the inability to interact fluently with the social environment, instead focusing their energy online or in very specific niches that shielded them from this social "anxiety".
This very much remains, cool kids do "cool" stuff and eloquently interact with their social environment. "Cool stuff" now is probably more "nerdy" than it was 20y ago but the divide is there, I think the author (and me probably) are too old to really see what "nerds" to today.
I think that nerd culture has just gone mainstream. It's far from dying.
> has just gone mainstream Care to provide some examples? Most "nerd" interests like SciFi have been neutered if not completely bent out of shape while going mainstream.
Video games have gone mainstream.
Internet has gone mainstream.
Anime has gone mainstream.
"AI" has gone mainstream.
I think it's fair to say that nerd culture does, has, and always will exist, but what nerd culture is changes with the passing sands of time. The nerds of today are not the nerds of yesteryear (read: us).