Triumph of the Nerds (opens in new tab)

The term ‘Nerd’, originally coined as a slur for overly intellectual, socially awkward individuals, is now worn as a badge of honor, but why? You might think that the present-day nerds are somewhat evolved from their former counterparts, but you’d be wrong. The essence of being a nerd is still the same, what has changed is our perception of them. What’s changed now, is that we can see the output of their nerdiness in real time, thanks to the internet boom.