Tuesday, January 08, 2008


FROM YOUR COMMENTS, "Adam" writes....

"...Ironic how nerds are now the writers and creators of popular culture. "

AS I AM A NERD, I will say that you are not using the term "irony" here exactly right, as indeed, I think a fair argument could be made that culture has always been CREATED by nerds, obsessives, geeks, and weirdos...


HOWEVER, Silverman's comment confirms that culture is still largely PAID FOR AND DISTRIBUTED by a jockish clique who are in some ways defined by their nerd-hate.

THE GREAT CHANGE, and indeed the "irony" you seek, is that, BECAUSE OF "INTERNET," we are shifting from a distributor-controlled culture to a creator-controlled culture.


A GREAT DEAL MORE of unrepentant geeky product is getting out there via "THE TUBES" with minimal distributor interference; GEEK AUDIENCES ARE forming powerful taste-making groups; and these two phenomena are leading SOME NETWORKS* to initiate authentically geeky products**, or at least IMITATIONS OF SAME***.

WHICH IS TO SAY: it sometimes looks like nerds are winning, slowly, by increments...

AND THAT, FRANKLY, is the exact opposite of what I ever expected to happen.

HOWEVER, it is comments like Silverman's that sometimes make me wonder if that is a FALSE HOPE, and that, in the end, the major networks would rather destroy themselves by ceding all geek audiences to cable rather than embrace one of the last few non-sports-oriented mass markets that exists.


That is all.



Adam N. said...

I am humbled by your logic.

The jocks will have to give in to the geeks' demands sooner or later. Silverman is just ranting because one of his most important assets is rebelling. What can he do, fire them all? He knows that all his fellow jocks can do is make crappy reality television shows concerning the swapping of family pets or American Idol season 15. Worry not! The geek shall inherit the networks!

ramona said...

"AND THAT, FRANKLY, is the exact opposite of what I ever expected to happen."

and yet for those of us who grew up watching John Hughes films, this is exactly what we'd expect to happen.

I have to think that eventually they'll cave to the writers (and that the Silverman comments are but the feeble cursings of a beaten man)

Adriane said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Adriane said...

I find this fascinating. Your statement that nerds/geeks/etc. are creating powerful taste-forming groups makes me think.

Nerds have two things going for them.
First, that they are the inventors of the technologies and communities which allow content to be creator-controlled, and are also usually early adopters.
This grants them an advantage in new media.

They are also a group of people who are well-off and are very likely to throw money at their obsessions. For example, buying the new Serenity DVD for its unseen special features.

I wonder which of these makes them a more powerful taste-forming group.

It also seems relevant that since nerds are apparently the ones creating the content, and nerds are increasingly the ones consuming it, distributors like networks are in an uncomfortable nerd sandwich.

maonk said...

i wouldn't call silverman and company jocks. i am by no means a jock, but i'm pretty sure you have to actually have a little discipline and talent to be a jock.

are they bullies? sure they are.

i went to high school in southern california in the early nineties. i would compare them to the gangster kids who would roam the hallways looking for weaker kids to torture and steal from. not even the jocks liked them.