In December of 2009 I wrote the first of what would end up being a series of columns I would affectionately title “Age of the Geek.”
I stole the term from the television show “Leverage,” in which the team’s obligatory tech-nerd proudly observed that the world is run by the people who spend their free time playing “World of Warcraft” and quoting “Doctor Who.”
Back then, the idea of openly proclaiming your enthusiasm for comic books, video games, and other such entertainments in greater society was still something of a novelty. Being familiar with The Avengers was worth very little in terms of social currency.
Today, four of the ten highest grossing movies of all time belong to Marvel Studios.
I think the point has been made.
Geek culture hasn’t just shed its taboo trappings from generations past. It’s become the core of mainstream entertainment. There’s little escaping it, and these days it’s more common to find somebody feeling left out of the cultural conversation if they aren’t keeping up with the latest in super heroes, Star Wars, or fantasy fare.
Pointing out that we live in the “Age of the Geek” is about as fresh an observation as noting that we live in the “Computer Age” or “Internet Age” as we all walk around with devices that grant us immediate access to the collective network of information in our pocket.
Beyond that, it has become increasingly apparent that my perspective from a position of youth is no longer entirely valid. I was 25 years old when I began writing this column. This month I will turn 38. I am not the same person I was back then, so while I may still be young at heart, the fact of the matter is that twice in recent weeks it has been pointed out that maybe I should rename my column “Old Age of the Geek.”
Perhaps it is time to retire the title.
This will, in all likelihood, be the last “Age of the Geek” column that I write for Mid-America Publishing.
I’ve been with the company for fifteen years, starting out as a still inexperienced reporter fumbling around Cerro Gordo County pretending that I knew what I was doing. Since then I’ve covered news in more communities than I can count and I’ve been doing it long enough that the pretender syndrome has mostly faded away.
It’s been a great decade and a half with this company, but now feels like the time to move on. I’ve accepted a new position with another company and I’m excited to get started on the next stage of my career. Unfortunately, the start of a new age by definition means the end of the current one.
Of course, this isn’t the first time I’ve made this announcement. I wrote a similar farewell column nine years ago before my short-lived move to California. It was a heartfelt tribute to the job that has been an intractable part of my life.
I won’t plagiarize myself by re-stating all the things I wrote back then, but know that all of the thanks I have to those who I have worked with and those who have read my work is just as sincere today as it was back in 2013.
Likewise, I’m filled with the same anxiety as I was back then, only tempered by the fact that this time I’m not leaving the news industry. I tried that once. It didn’t take.
There is nothing I love more than being a reporter. It has been such a big part of my life for so long that I don’t know how to stop. So, for the sake of me and the remaining few like me, do me a favor and support your local newspaper.
Social media is not a substitute for a trained reporter. There is a lot of information out in the world and sifting out the facts from the rumors and speculation is a skill worth paying for, especially today when there is so much more of the latter.
And you businesses out there, advertising works. Trust me on this. I know we all think that we’ve become so desensitized to advertisements that they can’t possibly be effective, but there’s a footlong Subway sandwich in my stomach right now that is evidence to the contrary.
I’m not blind to the struggles that the newspaper industry faces. Too few people are doing too much work. The internet is both friend and foe to our business. It’s tough out there and it’s getting tougher, but it doesn’t have to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
I whole heartedly believe that the weekly newspaper format is the best way to keep a community informed. It may not have the instant gratification of the internet, but it gives reporters time to do things right.
And while I will still be able to continue my weekly musings, I regret that those who have enjoyed my column all these years will have to search for it elsewhere. I will very much miss this company, and all of the communities it serves, but it is time for me to move on to new opportunities and make way for the next generation of reporters to step in.
I dislike good-byes and I’m struggling to find the words to properly end this column. Perhaps I’ll end this with a quote from my favorite movie.
“Human sacrifice! Dogs and cats, living together! Mass hysteria!” – Peter Venkman (Ghostbusters).
I didn’t say it’d be a profound quote.
Travis Fischer was a news writer for Mid-America Publishing and will probably never stop being a news writer in one form or another.
