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11 Geek Archetypes in Film and Television

By Edward Cone on 2009-02-04

by Edward Cone

Geeks have had a central role in popular culture since Homer rapped about Odysseus. Modern media is not always so kind. Who are these people, and what does it mean?

The Jerk

Examples: SNL’s Nick Burns, Your Company's Computer Guy; Jim Carrey’s Cable Guy. Subtext: People resent tech support because they need it so much

11 Geek Archetypes in Film and Television - IT Management

The Dweeb

Examples: The social maladepts on CBS’ Big Bang Theory.Subtext: Life after high school is still high school.

The Virtuous Hacker

Example: Mathew Broderick in War Games.Subtext: Knowledge is power, especially if you look like Mathew Broderick.

The Evil Mastermind

Example: Iron Man’s Obadiah Stane.Subtext: Geeks can’t handle power.

The Rebel

Examples: Keanu Reeves and friends in The MatrixSubtext: Attractive, armed geeks might be useful if machines get out of hand.

The Reluctant Hero

Example: Chuck, hero of the eponymous NBC show. Subtext: They’re not laughing with you, but at you

The Drone

Example: The cubicle slaves of Office Space.Subtext: You personal hell is actually quite common.

The Hottie

Example: Angelina Jolie in Hackers.Subtext: Teenage boys buy movie tickets

The Sidekick

Examples: Theo, the hacker in the original Die Hard.Subtext: You can join the gang, but your screen time will be limited.

The Mad Scientist

Examples: Dr. Frankenstein, Professor Frink.Subtext: Creativity is intimidating.

The Tinkered

Examples: MacGyver, The Professor from Gilligan’s IslandSubtext: If they can do that, why can’t you fix my computer? (see slide 1, The Jerk)

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Baseline:	Issue Index \| Contact Us \| About \| Magazine Customer Service \| Navigation Guide
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	Ziff Davis Enterprise Home \| Contact Us \| Advertise \| Link to Us \| Reprints \| Magazine Subscriptions \| Newsletters Tech RSS Feeds \| White Papers \| Tech Podcasts \| Tech Video \| VARs \| System Builder
	Baseline \| Careers \| Channel Insider \| CIO Insight \| DesktopLinux \| DeviceForge \| DevSource \| eSeminars \| eWEEK \| Enterprise Network Security \| LinuxDevices \| Linux Watch \| Microsoft Watch \| Mid-market \| Networking \| PDF Zone \| Publish \| Security IT Hub \| Strategic Partner \| TechDirect \| Technology White Papers \| Windows for Devices
	Developer Shed \| Dev Shed \| ASP Free \| Dev Articles \| Dev Hardware \| SEO Chat \| Tutorialized \| Scripts \| Code Walkers \| Web Hosters \| Dev Mechanic \| Dev Archives \| igrep Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
	Copyright ©1996-2012 Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings Inc. All Rights Reserved. eWEEK and Spencer F. Katt are trademarks of Ziff Davis Enterprise Holdings, Inc. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis Enterprise Inc. is prohibited.