Geek and nerds. Two terms that once would have you once being considered an outcast have since changed and are not necessarily a negative connotation.

Being a geek or a nerd can even be said to be terms that people find more popular nowadays, and the fact that comic books, superheroes, card games, Pokémon, video games and even board games have become a trend over the years make it seem even more acceptable to be associated as one or both of these categories.

It’s even a common term for people to say they are “geeking out” over a specific topic.

According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, a nerd is someone who is “unstylish, unattractive or socially inept person” and one who is devoted to “intellectual or academic pursuits” and some technology, while a geek is someone who is an “enthusiast or expert, especially in a technological field or activity” such as computers. Both categories contain socially awkward people, with geeks being unpopular and nerds being unfashionable.

The Interrobang spoke and debated with a few students, past, present and future to get their perspectives and definitions of the two terms and if they would identify themselves as either.

Daniel Lyons: Civil engineering student

“I always saw them as the same type of thing. Back a really long time ago they used to be two different things, and now in this society they’re kind of one singular definition. I would say I have nerdy aspects, but I wouldn’t define myself as either, or. I definitely have attributes that pertain to one of those things, but I wouldn’t call myself either a geek or a nerd. In this society, what isn’t geeky and nerdy? Just the way life is going now, it’s all about the latest video games [and] basically if you don’t play, you’re more of an outcast than if you do play a video game. But again, I wouldn’t call someone who plays a lot of video games either a nerd or a geek, that’s just the way they are, that’s the way we’ve been raised basically at this point. I would say they are the same thing.”

Ariel Gavronski: Potential future Fanshawe student

“A geek is a person who is into fandoms like Harry Potter, Doctor Who and Star Wars, and a nerd is a person that’s into band, music and science and stuff like that. I think sometimes people just use them interchangeably, but I think there’s a difference and people who identify and call themselves that feel strongly and don’t like [having] them mixed up.

Gavronski said she would consider herself both a geek and a nerd because she is into the science and music aspect of being a nerd, but is also a geek as she like programs such as Doctor Who and even tends to follow social media pages of things she likes that might qualify her as a geek.

Gavronski said that although the two terms have become more popular in today’s society, some people might care that they’ve become so common to use, while others might try to take advantage of this and use them in a negative way. However she said that anyone who is confident will know that being considered any of these two terms is not bad and shouldn’t be used against someone.

Emma Bock: Fanshawe alumna

“I’m a nerd, don’t get me wrong, I love my English literature, but I definitely geek out when it comes to Harry Potter and anything to do with Star Wars.”

Bock said that the two terms can be used interchangeably, but while citing that those who know the Harry Potter franchise by heart would consider themselves as nerds.

Bock said she feels geeks are more obsessive people and are more certain about their life and how it is, while a nerd is about finding out more knowledge on one particular subject to enrich their lives.

“I would call myself a Star Wars nerd,” Bock said. This is due to the fact that she can write and recite line-by-line many of the Star Wars movies. “Not a Star Wars geek because my entire life does not revolve around Star Wars. I don’t dress up like Princess Leia to come to work, but I would say I am very knowledgeable about the subject.”

Carlie Forsythe: Fanshawe Student Union (FSU) president

“Geeks are like those who are into fandoms and RPGS [games] and nerds are more of those who are into science and computer technology. Case in point, I have the Millennium Falcon (from Star Wars) at my desk that I built. I would say nerd, I’m definitely more a nerd. I’m a self-confessed sustainability nerd.”

Forsythe said she is also a nerd about Star Wars, but it does not consume her everyday life or anything. “What does consume my everyday life is thinking about different ways where we can stop creating a lot of waste.”

Forsythe said though she is a nerd about different things, she would consider herself a geek as well.

“I think I hop into both categories, but I’d probably say I’m more of the nerd side because I also like to find rational kinds of [reasoning] behind certain things.”