Being a geek is nothing to be ashamed of these days. In fact, it can be described as an “in” thing, with big names in Hollywood  hyping up characters playing as such and the general trend towards gadgetry and the people with the mojo to fully use them. Exploring in the direction of the geek’s rise to prominence, we discover many traits that are parallel or is a direct influence to a person being a geek. Primary among these “traits” in my opinion would be shyness.

Now there has been studies ad nauseum on the effects of technology on the typical teenager (the usual recipient of the geek description) - of how technology either induces extreme behavior (the GTA effect is how I like to call it) or how it causes one to retract from the company of other people; i.e. become an introvert. The first “effect” is the well-documented gaming-violence = real-life-violence, wherein supposedly impressionable teens yearn to imitate their on-screen avatars and let loose at the world at large. Suffice it to say that this topic deserves its own entry for ranting and raving.

                                                  The GTA became a target for politicians looking to re-election

The second “effect” is what I want to talk about – basically the people who’s affected by technology in this way is said to be moving away from direct contact (as in face-to-face contact) due to the prevalence and availability of technology driven means of communication: examples include the ever-popular Yahoo Messenger and its counterparts in MSN or AIM, social networking sites like Friendster and MySpace, and online games, especially massively-multiplayer online role-playing game, better known as MMORPG’s. These means of communication essentially give the person concerned an alter-ego that they always rely on to present to the “world” the face that they want seen.

                                              A virtual get-together in the popular MMORPG Ragnarok Online

Shyness is the result of these; while an online persona may be gregarious or lively, the study says that this sometimes result in the person In question to become awkward or introverted in real life – not to mention become a confused individual based on their “dual” personalities. Of course, this is not always the case, as this technology-based phenomena works both ways.

The study that makes these claims gives some good points; there are definitely people who are connected to the outside world only through their computers, notably in Japanese youth society. Yet what if the opposite occurs in these online scenarios? There are many internet users after all who use the ‘net as an additional source of camaraderie and contact with their friends, whether they have met before or not. MMORPG players meet frequently on what they call “Eye Ball” meetings – colloquially known as “EB” meetings. It is also a frequent occurrence where a social networking site proves to be a godsend to those who want to reach out further than their local hang-outs. Instant messengers, while primarily used as business tools, also provide a means of easy communication that usually facilitates development of relationships beyond the usual, and sometimes infrequent, face-to-face meetings.

In other words, there are always two sides to a coin – while it’s true that technology sometimes forces apart what otherwise would be a warmer, more real-life-based interaction, technology more often than not promotes and improves the relationships between friends and potential friends in a way that face-to-face cannot achieve.

                                                It's hard to meet face-to-face in make-believe land...

Maybe that is the reason that the number of stereotypical geeks has been increasing over the years – with the number of people starting to rely on the internet to keep in touch, more and more people are staying at home in front of the computer instead of going out to the local hangouts and staying with the same people. I need to point out thou – most of these people are not shy, nor are they “geeks” in the normal meaning of the word. Rather, they are simply people who want to expand their reach to friends not normally accessible – because of geography or other, more subtle reasons.

                                                A virtual smiley-face

So whether you’re a geek, or just naturally shy, explore your options with technology – friends can be found anywhere. A best of both worlds approach would be the proper action: reach out with whatever means you have at your disposal, yet also remember that “quality time” is not only applicable to family – friends deserve and require this kind of nurturing too – be it in real life or over the internet.