Your Social Life

[Dav0s]

Recently I have attended a couple of open days at universities with students aiming to study computer science. It seriously scared me the amount of nerds who were there! The type of people who you know get bullied at school, you know have very few friends and are hapier to have a mouse in their hand than a pint.

One of their mothers was telling my mum "my son doesnt have much of a social life because he is so into computing"

To which my mum replied, well computers dont take over my sons social life. And they dont! i go out regularly, have friends, get drunk, go to parties and would much rather be out with mates than sat on my comp hitting new posts every 5 seconds.

I am asking you lot, are you nerds? Do you feel you have a social life or does computing take over your life, are u happier in front of the comp than out with friends, if you have any!

It scares me to think that some people value their e-life over their real one.

 

[deathwish]

well i ain't a nerd

parents are going away for a week so..............................

HOUSE PARTY

 

[WC Annihilus]

Umm...

<.<

>.>

 

[Hyper]

I will be honest, there was a point in my life where computers meant more to me than my friends.

At this point I realised I was loosing mates I had known for years and I think I simply grew out of computers.

I use mine most days of the week I will admit, for checking e-mails and browsing the forums etc but this all comes second to being out with my mates etc.

I think alot of people go through stages in there life where they become addicted to computing, if it be in the form of MSN or just general gaming but I think everyone grows out of it.

I dont think its anything to worry about.

And NO !! I am not a so called nerd

My routine:

Monday to Thursday - School till 3:10pm then out with mates till about 8 then back home for a quick browse, chat and to check my e-mails.

Friday - School till 3:10pm as usual then out with mates getting p**sed as most teenagers do on a Friday night.

Saturday - Usually go the cinema, bowling, play football or do something and then get p**sed again that night.

Sunday (The day of rest) - Sunday dinner then go down the pub (Yes I know am not 18 but we are allowed in) to play pool and watch the match.

This gets repeated every week, pretty boring eh

 

[Oxo]

when i had to give up football i did spend alot more time on the computer, but i only used it for gamin or msn lol, but now im getin bored of it, but through all that time i still seen my mates and went out most friday n sat nights

so no i dont think im a nerd

 

[browney]

My routine:

Monday to Friday - College till 4:15pm then get home for 5:00pm and then i'm off to my girlfriends from 7 till 23:00pm

Friday-Sunday - College till 4:15pm then get home for 5:00pm and then I sleep at my gf's till Sunday

So when I get in I have a few hours on the inernet checking e-mails and looking around

 

[equk]

Sounds like a conformist view tbh

Not going to say too much as there are loads of stereotypical things in the first post, but each to their own tbh.

Also it's hard/impossible to define a stereotype (eg: 'nerds')

 

[Dav0s]

so eq, you believe it is "conformist" to not be in front of a computer?

ill argue to the death that a teenage lad sitting in front of a comp for 15+ hours a day is not healthy

however stereotypical you think i may be, im merely trying to gage an understanding of how many people do prefer to sit at a computer, and who think this is normal. the fact is, this behaviour is stereotypically nerdy/geeky, but if you'd prefer me not to use the word then i wont.

can i assume from your post that you see nothing wrong with spending a lifetime on a computer, and yourself prefer it over doing things away from the computer and outside the house?

 

[equk]

so eq, you believe it is "conformist" to not be in front of a computer?

no I see it is confomist in the UK atm to get drunk & ruin your internal organs.

however stereotypical you think i may be, im merely trying to gage an understanding of how many people do prefer to sit at a computer, and who think this is normal. the fact is, this behaviour is stereotypically nerdy/geeky, but if you'd prefer me not to use the word then i wont.

can i assume from your post that you see nothing wrong with spending a lifetime on a computer, and yourself prefer it over doing things away from the computer and outside the house?

A lifetime?

I think Hyper is right, you go thru stages in your life. I don't think it would be right to say you would be getting drunk every weekend for your 'lifetime'.

Also who defines what is right or wrong

I think some of these perceptions/stereotype's come from normality.

The definition of what is 'normal' depends on where you live, your social background etc.

conforming[/B'] to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.

 

[limqareb]

Recently I have attended a couple of open days at universities with students aiming to study computer science. It seriously scared me the amount of nerds who were there! The type of people who you know get bullied at school, you know have very few friends and are hapier to have a mouse in their hand than a pint.

One of their mothers was telling my mum "my son doesnt have much of a social life because he is so into computing"

To which my mum replied, well computers dont take over my sons social life. And they dont! i go out regularly, have friends, get drunk, go to parties and would much rather be out with mates than sat on my comp hitting new posts every 5 seconds.

I am asking you lot, are you nerds? Do you feel you have a social life or does computing take over your life, are u happier in front of the comp than out with friends, if you have any!

It scares me to think that some people value their e-life over their real one.

getting drunk doesnt mean you are not a nerd , people like those nerds are the people whoe supply you with operating systems , games , and any other software

 

[Dav0s]

maybe i was short on examples...

leaving the house, socialising with friends, going to the cinema, going swimming, going to the gym, hangng out with (ewwwwww) a girlfriend, watching sports, playing sports, DOING ANYTHING NOT INVOLVING A COMPUTER

tbh if you wish to argue with me about what it involves to be a nerd, im not interested. ill rephrase my question

are you a STEREOTYPICAL nerd

 

[limqareb]

maybe i was short on examples...

leaving the house, socialising with friends, going to the cinema, going swimming, going to the gym, hangng out with (ewwwwww) a girlfriend, watching sports, playing sports, DOING ANYTHING NOT INVOLVING A COMPUTER

tbh if you wish to argue with me about what it involves to be a nerd, im not interested. ill rephrase my question

are you a STEREOTYPICAL nerd

now that is not being a nerd , but my intention was not to argue but to point out that just by getting drunk doesnt mean you are not a nerd anyway good luck with your girl friend anyway i am far away from being a nerd even though i am interested in computing

 

[Dav0s]

i dont have a girlfriend...

and it seems your final sentence got close to answering the intended question, gratz on that

 

[jiffz]

I don't consider myself a nerd. I do use PC's a fair bit and like Hyper said you go through stages. At one point I was on the PC a lot as there's not much to do around here and I took myself away from the drug smoking lifestyle.

Nowadays, I bearly have any time on the PC nowadays due to goin out with mates, football and '(ewwwww) girlfriend' :boink: I currently have a pretty active social life and appreciate my time on the PC as it gives me some alone time and I find it relaxing.

Also, it depends what different people consider a geek. Some people around here would consider you a geek just because you actually know how to use a PC!

 

[Phnom_Penh]

It's a pita to juggle work and social life when you're doing something like compsci. I usually go out fri and sat, and not so much the rest of the week, but then again, I probably spend more time in the gym than I do doing work .

 

[equk]

Also, it depends what different people consider a geek. Some people around here would consider you a geek just because you actually know how to use a PC!

exactly

it's hard/impossible to define a stereotype (eg: 'nerds')

your final sentence got close to answering the intended question, gratz on that

what is the intended question?

ill rephrase my question

are you a STEREOTYPICAL nerd

The stereotype has not been defined (stereotypes aren't really definable) and is seen by different people in different ways. It is like asking "are you normal".

It seems like more of a rant against people who "stay on their computers".

People shouldn't feel they have to prove themselves to anyone, especially on the internet. (it's quite ironic that this thread/rant was made on a online forum)

I have seen this type of thread on many forums, ultimately leading to no-where and sometimes offending many.

 

[Toxcity]

I agree with life has stages comment.

Before I broke up with my girlfriend, we went out alot of the time and had fun...

But now shes gone, im kinda stuck with my PC. I lost alot of my friends because of her. I was alwasy with her and nobdy else.

At the moment I would say I am kinda a nerd... although my whole year likes me... Its a hard subject to pin point.

 

[Doddsy]

Hey! My life at the moment pretty much revolves around sitting in front of a computer!

Mainly because I'm attempting to write my dissertation, it's not becasue I don't have anything else to do, believe me I can think of a hell of a lot of things more fun than doing uni work.

 

[Dav0s]

erm, everyone except you eq seems to understand the intended question...

if you take offence at this thread i suggest you stop reading it, nobody else seems to have a problem.

the fact you think i am ranting at people like this is pretty insulting tbh, especially since im a moderator on a forum where i expect a lot of people do fit this stereotype.

if you want me to rephrase in a poltically correct form (although i forsee you being pedantic about this aswell), "does your computing hobby affect your social life".

i only used the term nerd as anybody with half a brain cell knows what is meant by a nerd. i disagree that sterotypes cannot be defined, since thats what a stereotype is! defining somebodys characteristics and fitting them into a suitable group.

tbh mate, if you are really offended by me asking this question, PM me and we can talk about it there. as far as im concerned, you seem to be the only one who doesnt understand what i mean and are arguing for arguments sake.

quite frankly you are diverting the point of this thread which everybody else seems to understand. the fact that you dont can perhaps be put down to the fact that everyone else is normal and you are not. there, hows that for ironic.

 

[FarFarAway]

People call me a nerd cause I have to mess around with hardware a lot reviewing/testing and I know a lot about PC's.

However I have a fiancee, my own flat and go out play football and more and more get my exercise done when it should be. Before I got properley into PC's I was about as far away from your Stereotype "nerd" as could be really having been a county runner, badminton player, competitive swimmer and played for a semi-pro football team.

Then I went to Uni and "did" the whole drinking every day of the week thing for three years

Now I can't afford that and have a mortgage to pay and so PC's are my hobby, but I still wouldn't stereotype myself as a typical "geek".

However I wouldn't worry about Uni as the people you go out with are from all sorts of different courses and mainly it'll be your halls mates