What does it mean to be a geek? If you were expecting to read this article to list the necessities a geek needs to have, you’ve come to the wrong place. Geeks don’t need glasses with little bits of tape stuck to the nose. They don’t need to know how to hack into a computer system. They don’t need to be obsessed with Doctor Who or wear suspenders. In reality, geeks are defined only by themselves.

Do me a favour and search, in Google Images, an infographic about geeks. You’ll come across several images titled, “Geek vs. Nerd” or “Hipsters vs. Geeks”. One of these infographics even goes as far as to show the apparel and common interests of a geek. Wikipedia even describes “geek” as “eccentric or non-mainstream”; pretty much the same thing as a hipster. Geeks can’t possibly be defined as true “geeks” are only passionate human beings. Society has come to believe that if a human is fond of computer programming or math, he’s a geek. However, if the same human being is fond of sports or theatre, despite their personality, it’s considered less geeky. Passionate loves for soccer and math have the same level of “geekiness”, as both are hobbies that someone can have a passion for. Any hobby or pastime that someone engages in more than another can be considered a geeky hobby.

For example: Hannah is a movie-goer. She’s seen movies of all sorts and knows every key point to making a good movie. She has her own blog and often writes movie critiques. Bill is an environmentalist who takes every step he can towards making the world a little bit cleaner – such as reusing things that would be otherwise considered trash for his art or for other uses. Harold is a guitarist for a world famous band. The point is that all of these people are geeks. Hannah is a movie geek. Bill is an environment/art geek. Harold is a music geek.

Do you have a job you particularly enjoy? Maybe it’s coaching for the state football team. Maybe it’s waitressing at a family restaurant. It doesn’t matter. As long as you have a job, hobby, or pastime that you enjoy, you’re a bit of a geek for it.

Is being a “geek” a bad thing? Of course not. Geeks, nerds, and even hipsters shouldn’t be given the title that they are. In fact, it’s become trendy to actually want to be considered nerdy or geeky. How many people have you seen walking around with Wayfarer Glasses without lenses? These people that consider themselves “geeks” by thinking that because they play a retro video game or two and talk about how “the 90s were so much better” are missing the point of what being a geek really means. Geeks don’t have definitions other than a passion for something that may or may not be popular. It doesn’t matter. Geeks are geeks.