Help for school

[Beldernae]

Hello, I have a project for school about why being a nerd now is better than it was twenty years ago and i need six sources, can anyone suggest anything?:smallfrown:

[Creed]

Do these need to be full-on text citation sources, or can they just be out there in the ether "proof of concept" examples of why things are better for us now?

Either way, the prevalence of home computers and the fact that now not playing video games is weird should give you some ideas.

[Beldernae]

i think it is just in text citation, and i agree, but my teacher wants resources rather than observation, it's a bit of a pain.:smallannoyed:

[Medic!]

A few ideas for sources:

1) Forbes Magazine
2) An owner's manual for any of several new automobiles
3) Troubleshooting directions for Windows
4) Play that clip from Revenge of the Nerds where Louis gets the hottie in the moon-walk
5) ?????
6) Profit.


They can't all be winners.

[Iruka]

I think there were claims that Big Bang Theory helped making nerd culture more of a mainstream thing. Maybe you'll find something looking in that direction.

[AKA_Bait]

I'd suggest trying to do some searches on Google News (https://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&tab=mn)or Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.com/schhp?hl=en). A ten second search of Google News for "Geek Chic" got this article (http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2013/sep/02/rise-geeks-outsiders-superhero-movies-dork). I'm sure that you shouldn't have much trouble finding numerous other sources just by googling around with various nerd related search strings.

You should be sure to mention in your paper just how much easier doing research (a nerd-oriented activity) is now. Twenty years ago you would have had to go to a physical library, or several, for hours to accomplish the kind of media and papers search those two websites give you in seconds. You were also able to crowd-source advice about how to do the research, which would have been much tougher then.

[Karoht]

Check theescapist.com

Heck, a prime example would be the Top 5 PAX moments posted just today.

Years ago, PAX was created to basically be a 'nerd E3' and it has really transformed since. The Top 5 PAX moments really highlights how great it is to be a nerd or geek now.

As for making the arguement:
-Contrast-Then and now. It's hard to be objective about Then but it is easier to be objective about Now. Try not to stick to the stigma of old too much. Remember that contrast is a tool, don't over use it. I would steer very clear of the Geeks/Nerds VS Jocks, or Intellectualism VS Athleticism sort of arguements.
-Community-We actually have one VS not. You can demonstrate how much easier it is to form a community (for any group, not just nerds) thanks to technology, multiplayer gaming, and more nerdy local events.
-Marketing-Nerds are being marketed to, sold to. Nerds/Geeks are now a major demographic. Various industries are interested in us, and are catering towards us. Nerd/Geek products are much more common and accessible.
-Technology-Definitely made all of this much easier. Explain how.

Try to link Tech, Marketing, and Community together for your closing remarks.

For more resources, Penny Arcade is likely to have some good articles, so is Kotaku. PvPonline.com might have some less common articles if you go through the blog posts a bit. Penny Arcade can point you to Extra Credits, I would check some of those out if you haven't already.
You may want some sources regarding how widespread technology has become, such as smart phones, game consoles, personal computers, access to the internet, etc. Plenty of good sources out there for that.

[Scarlet Knight]

Check your library for a copy of " Steve Jobs".

[Sunfall]

Maybe you can find something by these people (interviews, book chapters etc.) that supports your thesis:


Brian Cox
Bill Nye
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Arthur C. Clarke (died 5 years ago, so it's more like 10-15 years, though...)
John Green (of YouTube fame)


Wired Magazine and io9.com might be good sources, too... There even might be a good TED talk about this topic.

Aaand book-wise, anything dealing with Generation Y (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennial_Generation)might be worth checking out.

[Beldernae]

thank you all for the help on this! :smile:
my teacher will be overwhelmed now, since she expects the topic to fall flat on it's arse as far as sources go

[Sunfall]

Be sure to tell us how it went! It's an interesting topic, for sure :smallwink:

[Talanic]

A bit late, but I suggest Grand Theft Childhood. It's a look at claims about video games and violence. The fact that studies actually exist now which show that kids who play video games are not more violent than others is huge.

[GeekGirl]

I think there were claims that Big Bang Theory helped making nerd culture more of a mainstream thing. Maybe you'll find something looking in that direction.


I think that is a little backwards. Nerd culture becoming more mainstream made that show producible.


You can also look at Everything Bad is Good for you (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything_Bad_Is_Good_for_You). It's not exactly what your looking for, but may have some relevant information. Though I read it about right around when it came out, so my memory of it may be a little off. On most projects I worked on we cold cite videos as well, so here's this (https://wilwheaton.net/2013/04/being-a-nerd-is-not-about-what-you-love-its-about-how-you-love-it/)

[Dallas-Dakota]

Do:

4) Play that clip from Revenge of the Nerds where Louis gets the hottie in the moon-walk.

Seriously.

[Knaight]

thank you all for the help on this! :smile:
my teacher will be overwhelmed now, since she expects the topic to fall flat on it's arse as far as sources go

It has. There are some tangentially related primary sources that can be charitably described as anecdata - and virtually none of the ones listed are academic in any way.