“Do you know the difference between a geek, a nerd, and a dork?”

I ask my students this question each semester. Whenever I do, their faces light up, they raise their hands, and we go around the room, defining these terms together. Finally, we settle on a definition. Nerds are “academically-inclined,” dorks are “hapless and clumsy,” and geeks are “passionate fans.” Thus, begins one of my favorite classroom lectures: Fandom, Pop Culture, and Communication.

I am a pop culture researcher. I am a fan. I am a geek. Because of this identity, I can never pass an opportunity to discuss any one of my geeky passions, be it Disney, Star Wars, A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones), Marvel, Harry Potter, and the list goes on and on!

Popular culture and my geek identity are the reasons I decided to pursue graduate studies at San Diego State University. I remember the first time I read a piece of rhetorical criticism on a favorite cultural text of mine. This criticism was Bell, Haas, and Sells’ (1995) From Mouse to Mermaid: The Politics of Film, Gender, and Culture. From here, I discovered the works of Henry Giroux and Janet Wasko. I read James B. Stewart’s (2005) Disney War and was given a better lens to fully critique this conglomerate (The Walt Disney Company) of which I was an ardent fan. The fantasy of Walt Disney’s magical kingdom was tainted, but, for some reason, I still loved the mouse.

Why? Why was I so passionate about these animated films, these Broadway musicals, and these theme parks filled with 5′ rodents? Why was I obsessed with planning vacations to central Florida and wearing t-shirts with cartoon characters on them? In true nerd fashion, I found the answers to these questions in (another) book.

Henry Jenkin’s (1992/2013) Textual Poachers introduced me to the world of fandom. Camile Bacon-Smith, John Fiske, and Gray, Sandvoss, and Lee Harrington provided context. Mark Duffett and Matt Hills finally spelled out the answer: you are the way that you are because you are a fan!

I spend at least several minutes in each class period discussing fandom, fan practices, and Geek Culture. Previous students often remark this was their most memorable class. They enjoy letting their nerd-flag fly, meeting classmates who share similar passions, and gaining a deeper appreciation of their fandoms.

“Everyone is a fan,” I tell them, “Everyone is geeky about something.”

So, what makes you a geek?