The Two Sides Of The Geekonomy

Those of us working in – or hoping to work in – the Geekonomy are always trying to understand it a bit better.  It's a bit of an obsession of mine, because I feel like there's "something" out there for us progeeks and profans to grasp, but I haven't fully grasped it yet.  I can get some idea of the form of the Geekonomy, but its still fuzzy.

I've said for awhile that the Geekonomy, that place where geekiness, fandom, and industry comes together, is information-driven.  Its computers and video games, anime and novels, and at least a bit self-referential as everything ties into each other.  The fangirl that writes fanfic also uses Facebook and debates publishing on Lulu.com.  The dedicated otaku uses Photoshop to do art, makes web pages, and buys manga at the bookstore.

Of course, this is leading up to a recent insight of mine.  Namely, that the Geekonomy has two sides that are intimately intertwined.

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Frustration Friday: There’s Not Going To Be Normal

I'm a news junkie, which is about as obvious as saying that Yao Ming is a tad tall.  One of the flaws of being a news junkie is you are exposed to large quantities of Stupid, especially if you read pundits or analysis.  Even the wisest people wiff it occasionally, which may occasionally help you forget some paid analysts are complete morons.

One of the moronic ideas kicked around by the wise and the stupid is the talk of what happens when the economy of America – and indeed the world – gets "back to normal."

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The Economic downturn and Profans

I've wondered if the Economic downturn is encouraging or discouraging profans and progeeks.

On one hand the economy is bad and people don't want to take chances.  It's hard to live your dreams when you're worried about layoffs, health care, housing prices, etc.  It's often a taking a chance to try and go live your dreams, and its hard when you want to be sure you can pay the bills.  Worse, a tough economy means less chance to fall back on friends and family if there's a crisis.

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