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DEBUNKING THE GEEK MYTH
The Star, In.Tech, June 16, 2005
WE HAVE all seen the stereotype of the IT (information technology) guy – he wears glasses, his hair is combed straight down, he might have a pocket protector, his T-shirt is buttoned all the way to the top and his pants might even be pulled up high.
That’s just the look.
His whole life supposedly revolves around the computer and technology. In fact, he is happiest in front of the computer, even on Friday and Saturday nights.
He is often seen as a social misfit and might be chatty online but is extremely tongue-tied in person.
The geek: Myth or reality?
We have all called someone we know a geek at one time or another, or even said, “that’s a really geeky thing to do.”
On the other hand, we ourselves might have been guilty of poring over tech specs, raving about a dualcore chip and even ranting about a new printer. Now, how geeky is that?
In.Tech decided to ask people in the IT industry about the geek stereotype.
Not industry-specific
Dinesh Nair, 36, director of Qube Connect, is very often called a geek. “It doesn’t bother me. I don’t see it as an insult or a compliment.”
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Dinesh Nair: The stereotype is no longer valid today.
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With a background in computer science, Dinesh spends his time building systems-related software – operating systems, soft switches, routers, VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) and firewalls.
He is not excited about new gadgets per se, only if there’s a jump in technology.
Calling himself a “selective gadget freak,” Dinesh says the stereotype of the geek is no longer valid today.
“At some point in time there may have been some truth to that stereotype, but not today.
“I can pick any industry and give you the same random distribution (of the geeky-looking people). In any industry, you have some guys at (the cool) end, some at the (geeky) end, and a lot of people in the middle. The average IT guy looks like any other office worker today.”
Azril Hisham Abdul Aziz agrees with Dinesh. The 32-year-old techline specialist says that most IT people today do whatever anyone else does – watch movies, go clubbing, spend time with family and friends.
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| Azril Hisham: 'I think the stereotype is more of a Hollywood thing.' |
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“I think the stereotype is more of a Hollywood thing. In Malaysia, we work hard so we play hard as well. We always have things that bring us into the mainstream like (participating in) events. So you don’t feel like you are diving into technology stuff and talking techno-babble all the time,” he says.
The ultimate geek, says Azril, must be Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. “But he’s the richest man in the world so it can’t be that bad,” he adds laughing.
According to Azril, in the United States there are IT people who look like they go to Metallica concerts every week. “You will have no idea that these guys are geniuses with computers. I think (the geek stereotype) is more Hollywood than anything else. People have that idea in their head but I don’t think it’s true at all.”
Cool cat
Zeffri Yusof, account director at Hill & Knowlton public relations agency, agrees that there is no truth to this stereotype. “I think it’s exactly that – a stereotype. Most geeks I know are the coolest people around and most wannabe-cool people are real geeks.”
Calling himself a geek, Zeffri, 35, admits he enjoys putting systems together for PC gaming and home entertainment. He has also customised systems for his wife and daughter with “a bit of Xbox-modding for good measure.”
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| The twins show dad Zeffri Yusof who is boss at home. |
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Although he wasn’t called a geek in school, Zeffri was always into “geeky” things like computers, fantasy and sci-fi and what he calls the “ultimate in geekiness” – Star Wars lore (more specifically, Episodes 4-6 ;).
Embracing his “geekiness,” Zeffri says, “I’d be more worried if people ever called me ‘cool.’ ”
Success counts
Lim Fun Jin, 33, technical director at ISA Technologies, admits to being a “gadget geek.” He’s into mobile devices, PDAs (personal digital assistants), and PDA phones.
He has three computers, one PDA and one phone.
His close friends sometimes call him a geek. “When I speak to them I sometimes go into too much technical detail so they give me a hard time. But I don’t think my peers view me as a geek. I hope not. If they do, they’re not telling me,” he says grinning.
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| Lim Fun Jin: 'I don't mind (being called a geek) seeing as geeks can be successful.' |
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But he doesn’t really mind being called a geek.
“Bill Gates was a 100% geek when he started. I heard that as he travels to work he sometimes still writes some code for his own personal use. When I heard this, I thought ‘wow, chairman of a large company and he’s still (coding) today.’
“So I don’t mind (being called a geek) seeing as geeks can be successful. It’s all right to be called a geek today, I guess.”
A lot of the stigma and “bad press” can be attributed to the media, says Lim. It is the media, after all, which has painted the picture of the IT person being a loner who is isolated from social activities.
Lim says society in general might view these loners as strange because they are better at PC gaming and dealing with computers and may lack some social skills.
Different folks, different strokes
Harres Tan, Group CEO of HT Consulting and chairman of Pikom (Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry of Malaysia), contends that there is no stereotype.
“(IT people) socialise among themselves in their own group. They understand each other, they speak the same lingo, have the same interests. It’s not that they are anti-social.
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| Harres Tan: 'I don't think this perception is right.' |
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“I was in both (tech and non-tech) sides. I mix with both categories of people. I don’t think this perception is right,” says Tan, adding that people change over time anyway.
Tan who is now based in England admits to having two MP3 devices – an iPod and an iRiver. They store all his favourite MP3s.
Although his background is in programming, Tan, 53, is very much the businessman today. He has never been called a geek. In fact, he used to be pretty hip (see sidebar).
He says: “There are always certain types of people who are over-excited with new technologies and they will spend all their money exploring. But these are the people who really go in-depth into exploiting the device or technology. Most of us will use any new technology at surface level. But these people will go in-depth and they really know (the technology) because that is their whole interest.
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Who cares?
American Brett Bibby, 40, and his 32-year-old wife Jean Tan, could be called geeks. He is the chief executive officer of GameBrains, a games development company which is a recipient of the Multimedia Super Corridor R&D Grant Scheme. Tan is the company’s chief financial officer.
They spend a lot of their time playing games.
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| Jean Tan and husband Brett Bibby don't care about being stereotyped. |
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“I don’t think we care about the geek image. I don’t think we even know what it is,” says Bibby. “I mean, there are people out there who are trying to make something great and change the world and there are others who are caught up in culture – what should you do, what’s the right thing to do and that includes everything from the run-of-the-mill education stuff and what sneakers the kids are wearing today to going to the cybercafés to play Counterstrike.
“I don’t think we care. We don’t read newspapers; we don’t watch a lot of TV; we spend most of our time just playing board games and videogames, and reading books.
“Some friends refer to us as ‘geeky’ but we tend to associate with like-minded people. So, I would say that a lot of our friends are probably even more ‘out there’ than we are.”
What is the definition of geeks, challenges Tan. “Is it being driven by the culture and the technology? Is it people who show off their latest handphone or gadget? Or is it people who stay at home trying to do something to change the world?”
Bibby, who grew up near Silicon Valley, gives his definition of geek: “People who just don’t care about the social pressures around them. They live their lives based on the vision that they have and that’s what gets them labelled ‘geeks.’ They don’t wear the cool pants or the cool shoes. But instead, they’re at home hacking or programming. Because of this they are labelled geeks.”
Tan and Bibby don’t think there’s anything wrong with being classified a “geek.” “I think if they are social misfits and if they do spend a lot of time on their own doing something, they probably have a goal and an objective so they’re doing something good either for themselves or for society,” says Tan.
Bibby points out that nobody who wasn’t an outcast has ever changed the world positively and significantly.
He says, “You only live life once. Beauty and all those things are going to go away; your ability to party and be social is going to go away. So why spend your whole life worrying about what other people think?”
Time for change
As long as perceptions are perpetuated you can’t break the stereotype, says Dinesh. He believes it might take a revolution of some sort to change these perceptions.
Citing the scenario during the dotcom boom of the 1990s, Dinesh points out that the perception of the geek in the United States changed then. “From a guy with his T-shirt buttoned up all the way to the top, he became the guy driving the Ferrari. Why? Because everybody knew the geeks were making money cashing in on the dotcom boom.”
Zeffri points out that as everyone becomes more tech-savvy, “sooner or later IT people will not be seen as geeks because everyone will end up being ‘IT people.’ ”
Techline specialist Azril agrees. “We’re in the information age now. So it’s more of you being in touch to keep up with the times so that you are actually relevant. So it’s not really about being a geek or being cool.
“Let’s move on from geek. We are technical people,” he says.
Note: See also What's Cool, Man?
Copyright Star Publications (M) Bhd
ALSO:
Malaysian solution for Beijing hospital, March 28, 2006
Go online for retro decoration, September 6, 2005
Mobile apps developers show the way, August 25, 2005
Renting a book on the Net, August 9, 2005
The business of blogging, July 21, 2005
Still waiting for the smarthome, July 19, 2005
Appealing to old and young alike, June 23, 2005
What's cool, man?, June 16, 2005
Tech Doors Opening to the Blind, Oct 14 , 2004
Learning The PC Starts At 60, June 10, 2004
The HTML's On The Blackboard, May 25, 2004
New Technology, Old Methods,Dec 04, 2003
Soaring Into Digital Art, Apr 15, 2003
Santa Goes High-Tech, Dec 24, 2002
Bringing Art Home, Oct 01, 2002
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