Nerd culture

William Henry Gates III is an American businessman and philanthropist. A pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, he co-founded the software company Microsoft in 1975 with his childhood friend Paul Allen. Following Microsoft's initial public offering in 1986 and the subsequent increase in its stock price, Gates became the world's then-youngest billionaire in 1987, at age 31. Forbes magazine ranked him as the world's wealthiest person for 18 out of 24 years between 1995 and 2017, including 13 years consecutively from 1995 to 2007. Gates became the first centibillionaire in 1999, when his net worth briefly surpassed US$100 billion. According to Forbes, as of February 2026, his net worth stood at US$107.7 billion, making him the 18th-wealthiest individual in the world.

American Internet entrepreneur

American television sitcom (2007–2019)

American computer pioneer, inventor, computer engineer and programmer; co-founder of Apple Inc.

Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated open box symbol) is an American social networking service. Launched on August 1, 2003, it was the first social network to reach a global audience and had a significant influence on technology, pop culture and music. It also played a critical role in the early growth of companies like YouTube and created a developer platform that launched companies such as Zynga, RockYou, and Photobucket, among others, to success. From 2005 to 2009, Myspace was the largest social networking site in the world.

game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting

thumb|upright|Original illustration of Jules Verne's Nautilus engine room

wiki hosting service and domain

first fantasy tabletop role-playing game

American author and vlogger

thumb|upright=1.6|Cosplayers at Yukicon 2014, a fan convention in Finland thumb|Three cosplayers at the Comic book convention|Comic Con in [[Long Beach 2014, representing James T. Kirk (Star Trek), the superheroine Wonder Woman (DC Universe), and supervillain Loki (Marvel Universe)]] A cosplay (a portmanteau of "costume play") is the activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, and a broader use of the term "cosplay" applies to any costumed role-pla

thumb|upright=1.4|The Akihabara neighborhood of [[Tokyo, a popular gathering site for otaku]]

1993 collectible card game

IGN is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former editor-in-chief, Peer Schneider. The IGN website was the brainchild of media entrepreneur Chris Anderson and launched on September 29, 1996. IGN features articles on games, films, anime, television, comics, technology, and other media. Originally a network of desktop websites, IGN is also distributed on mobile platforms, console programs available on the Xbox and Pl

DeviantArt, formerly styled as deviantART and thus abbreviated as dA, is an American online community that features artwork, videography, photography, and literature, launched on August 7, 2000, by Mathew Stephens, Scott Jarkoff and Angelo Sotira, among others.

thumb|Example of a stereotypical 'nerd' appearance - note the round glasses, braces, trousers pulled too high, and off-putting enthusiasm A nerd is a person seen as over-intellectual, obsessive, introverted, lacking social skills and socio-cultural intuition. Such a person may spend inordinate amounts of time on unpopular, little-known, or non-mainstream activities, which are generally either highly technical, abstract, or relating to niche topics such as science fiction or fantasy, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Additionally, many so-called nerds are described as being shy, q

Kawaii ( or , ; or ) is a Japanese cultural phenomenon which emphasizes cuteness, childlike innocence, charm, and simplicity. Kawaii culture began to flourish in the 1970s, driven by youth culture and the rise of cute characters in manga and anime (comics and animation) and merchandise, exemplified by the creation of Hello Kitty by Sanrio in 1974. The kawaii aesthetic is characterized by soft or pastel (usually pink, blue, and white) colors, rounded shapes, and features which evoke vulnerability, such as big eyes and small mouths, and has become a prominent aspect of Japanese popular culture,

American comedy series

thumb|An "eleet hacker" (31337 H4XØR) laptop sticker, along with a "Free Kevin Mitnick|Kevin" sticker

type of entertainer

Newgrounds is an American entertainment website founded by Tom Fulp in 1995 and owned by Newgrounds.com, Inc. The site hosts user-generated content such as games, films, audio, and artwork. Fulp produces in-house content at the headquarters and offices in Glenside, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia.

thumb|A geek girl at the [[Geek Picnic (Moscow) wearing a Geek shirt and a VR headset]]

xkcd (sometimes styled XKCD) is a serial webcomic created in 2005 by American author Randall Munroe. The comic's tagline describes it as "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language". Munroe states on the comic's website that the name of the comic is not an acronym but "just a word with no phonetic pronunciation".

Chess.com is an internet chess server. The largest chess platform in the world, the site operates on a freemium model in which some features are available for free, and others are available via subscription. Users can play live online chess against other users in daily, rapid, blitz, or bullet time controls, with a number of chess variants available. Additionally, the platform offers play against chess engines, computer analysis, chess puzzles, and teaching resources.

British television sitcom

fashion subculture originating in Japan

app and website exploring partner museums

thumb|Several gamers playing a multiplayer video game

form of role-playing game where the participants physically act out their characters' actions

American cartoonist, author and engineer

1985 film by John Hughes

American author, vlogger, and science communicator

, known before 2012 as , is a Japanese video sharing service based in Tokyo, Japan. "Niconico" or "nikoniko" is the Japanese ideophone for smiling. As of 2021, Niconico is the 34th most-visited website in Japan, according to Alexa Internet.

Pixiv is a Japanese online community for artists. It was first launched as a beta test on September 10, 2007, by Takahiro Kamitani and Takanori Katagiri. Pixiv Inc. is headquartered in Sendagaya, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. As of January 2024, the site consists of over 100 million members, over 115 million illustration and manga and over 21 million novel works posted. Pixiv aims to provide a place for artists to exhibit their illustrations and get feedback via a rating system and user comments. Works are organized in an extensive tag structure which forms the backbone of the website.

1999 film directed by Martyn Burke

fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

thumb|right|alt=Trekkies at a Brisbane on Parade event. Star Trek enthusiasts are one of the best-known examples of a pop culture oeuvre having a cult following.|Trekkies at a [[Brisbane on Parade event. Star Trek enthusiasts are one of the best-known examples of a pop culture oeuvre having a cult following.]]

fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

Spaced is a British television sitcom created, written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright, about the comedic, and sometimes surreal and action-packed, misadventures of Daisy Steiner and Tim Bisley, two twenty-something Londoners who, despite only having just met, decide to move in together after she gives up on squatting and he is kicked out by his ex-girlfriend. Supporting roles include Nick Frost as Tim's best friend Mike, Katy Carmichael as Daisy's best friend Twist, Mark Heap as lodger Brian who lives downstairs and Julia Deakin as landlady Marsh

contemporary Japanese fashion trends

anime-centered social media and forum website

a worldwide community of fans of anime and manga

Mixi (stylized as mixi) is an online Japanese social networking service. It opened in 1999 and is owned by . As of September 2012, Mixi had about 14 million monthly active users, with about 8.6 million of those on smartphones. Mixi, Inc. was founded by Kenji Kasahara in 1999 as a limited liability company and became a Japanese corporation in 2000. The company changed its name to Mixi, Inc. from E-Mercury, Inc. in February 2006 to align its name with the social networking service, and was updated to MIXI, Inc. in 2022. Its headquarters are in Shibuya, Tokyo.

event with a primary focus on comic books

theme restaurants and pubs that originated in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan, around the late 1990s and early 2000s

song by 'Weird Al' Yankovic from Straight Outta Lynwood

amusement park in Tama New Town, Tokyo, Japan

overview of the popular culture in Japan

organization that discusses/celebrates Japanese animation

A formal gathering of members of the furry fandom

VidCon is an annual convention for influencers, fans, executives, and online brands. The event primarily features prominent video stars from across the internet. It was founded by veteran YouTube creators John and Hank Green (Vlogbrothers), and was later acquired by Viacom (now Paramount Skydance) in 2018 and later acquired by Informa in 2024. Its offices remain in Missoula, Montana, sharing a building with Complexly. VidCon's international presence continues to expand with additional events planned in Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Mexico City, Australia, and São Paulo. In October 2020, VidCon Now rel

science fiction fan gathering

television series

Retailer

letters and symbols used by geeks to describe themselves

educational channel on YouTube

Vlogbrothers (sometimes stylized as VlogBrothers or vlogbrothers) is a video blog channel on YouTube. The Internet-based show is created and hosted by the Green brothers: John and Hank. The first incarnation of the brothers' online broadcasting was the "Brotherhood 2.0" project, preceding the establishment of the pair's regular vlogging activity through the Vlogbrothers channel.

is a Japanese fandom subculture popular among young people, especially young women, in which a person spends significant amounts of time and money to support an idol or favorite character, primarily as a form of fan identity. It gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic and has been compared to Western stan culture. The subculture and its activities have been criticized for enabling addiction and unhealthy spending, while businesses and economists see the trend as a potential avenue to revitalize Japan's economy.

2014 non-fiction book by Randall Munroe

commemorative day