Comment on The candid naivety of geeks
A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 5 weeks ago
What surprised me the most with this announcement is how it was met with surprise and harsh reactions. People felt betrayed.
I would just call that naivety. Of the (average) consumer.
Not sure why they chose “geek” here, maybe we just have different definitions of that.
I think they’re using “geek” here to mean “fan,” but I agree that being a geek implies a level of fandom or interest that these “wounded fans” don’t have, or else they’d know more about these corporations they’re stanning.
I think a better word would simply be “fan.”
it probably shows their age.
nobody that grew up in the 1980s would use geek the way they are in this blog
Since like 2000s geek means mindless consumer of tech, pop culture and toys
themeatbridge@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
Calling Alexa users “geeks” is like calling McDonald’s diners “foodies.” Like, it might be true, but all current evidence to the contrary.
grrgyle@slrpnk.net 5 weeks ago
Geek has always just meant an enthusiast or connoisseur of some topic. But anyone who remembers the cultural cachet of “ThinkGeek” et al in the 00s will recall how the term became synonymous with a consumerist obsessing tech gewgaws, and other “brainy kid” toys. Like being a gearhead, but about nothing in particular - just the toys.
Anyway, that association has forever stuck in my head, and probably many others’.
themeatbridge@lemmy.world 5 weeks ago
I mean, if we’re being pedantic, geek was a term for a specific circus performer who would eat gross things and hammer nails into their faces. Anything to gross out the audience. The term expanded to mean “weirdo” over time, and became associated with the term “nerd.” It has further evolved with the popularity of the phrase “geek out” to mean someone with strong enthusiasm for a specific topic. That’s the most recent popular definition of the word.
Either way, any legitimate “geek” would already know that they shouldn’t expect Alexa to respect their data privacy.
grrgyle@slrpnk.net 5 weeks ago
I suppose I walked into that one with my phrasing…