“Bubble geeks” and the worldwide geek meltdown of 2010

What is a “bubble geek” and why are so many of them having meltdowns lately – and is the iPad the cause? First, the definition: a geek so thoroughly surrounded by nothing but other geeks (his co-workers, his friends, his spouse) that he eventually forgets that his deck has been stacked in this manner, and mistakenly concludes that everyone in the entire world must be of the same geek mindset as he is, as “everyone he knows” agrees with most of his views on technology and he “can’t find anyone” who disagrees. Over time his statements will eventually shift from “Everyone in my immediate geek circle agrees that…” to more broad statements like “Everyone agrees that…” without realizing that he’s ignoring the fact that outside his own self imposed geek bubble, 99% of the population are not geeks and would likely not agree with what he’s saying.

Said to be a “bubble geek” because he doesn’t know the outside world exists. The term accurately describes most designers and decision makers at most consumer technology companies, which explains why most “consumer technology” products are too geeky and overly complicated for the tastes of consumers. The term also fits many technology journalists, including the technology journalists who write for mainstream publications (although with an increasing number of notably pleasant exceptions); it’s why the “technology news” that’s published is often slanted away from the kind of tech news that the mainstream technology user would find of interest.

With the emerging trend over the past few years of consumer technology products finally being designed for consumers instead of for geeks (a path largely carved out by Apple but now being attempted by some others), many of the most prominent bubble geeks have been staging public meltdowns along the lines of lamenting how technology is becoming too easy to use, and making fools of themselves in the process. The more the bubble geeks see the technology market shifting away from them, the more vocal they’ve become. The launch of the iPad, which many geeks consider a travesty because it’s too straightforward and not hackable enough, has been the biggest linchpin in the worldwide geek meltdown of 2010.

About Bill Palmer

Bill Palmer is Editor in Chief of Beatweek Magazine. His editorial contributions include interviews with musicians and iPhone industry coverage.