In his essay, "Postmodernism and 'The Other Side,'" Dick Hebdige explains the trouble with the word postmodernism. He claims it is being used as a buzzword, applied to a too many varying situations, which caused to lose its meaning. But he goes on to show that while it is used excessively, the situations tend to have three main things in common: they are against totalization, teleology, and utopia. These common bonds allow the word postmodernism to be applied appropriately even though the decor of a room might not seem to have much in common with political fragmentation.
This problem is common as words become overused or too general. As Hebdige asserts, with popularity they become buzzwords. In recent years this has happened with the word 'nerd.' I wrote previously about the trouble with the changing definition of nerd and that it appears to apply to too many people. And if that was the case, nerd could no longer carry its former connotation and be considered its own culture.
After looking at postmodernism, I would suggest that, while nerd has become a buzzword, it can still remain a culture. Like when the popular term postmodernism is applied, nerd also has certain commonality for its usage, even if 'bronies' (adult men obsessed with My Little Pony) don't appear to have much in common with larpers (participants in Live Action Role Playing). Both groups, and all other subsets of nerd culture, are very passionate about their subjects or activities. The term nerd, while previously a negative way to describe an outsider, has grown to be used as a badge of pride for people who consider their interests to be different from the mainstream. Using the word nerd allows them to create a sense of community, which suggests that there is, in fact, still a growing nerd culture rather than the destruction of one.
This problem is common as words become overused or too general. As Hebdige asserts, with popularity they become buzzwords. In recent years this has happened with the word 'nerd.' I wrote previously about the trouble with the changing definition of nerd and that it appears to apply to too many people. And if that was the case, nerd could no longer carry its former connotation and be considered its own culture.
After looking at postmodernism, I would suggest that, while nerd has become a buzzword, it can still remain a culture. Like when the popular term postmodernism is applied, nerd also has certain commonality for its usage, even if 'bronies' (adult men obsessed with My Little Pony) don't appear to have much in common with larpers (participants in Live Action Role Playing). Both groups, and all other subsets of nerd culture, are very passionate about their subjects or activities. The term nerd, while previously a negative way to describe an outsider, has grown to be used as a badge of pride for people who consider their interests to be different from the mainstream. Using the word nerd allows them to create a sense of community, which suggests that there is, in fact, still a growing nerd culture rather than the destruction of one.
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