Browsing by Subject "geek"

This research examines geek crafts as a craft phenomenon which is located between craft sciences and geek culture. There is many researches about Geeks and geek culture, but geek crafts haven’t been studied as its own phenomenon. This researches purpose is to study why geek crafts are made and define the most typical textile-based geek crafts. I used literary overview to form bases of my theory and to analyse why geek crafts are made. Backgrounds of my theory was collected in the context of craft sciences and studies of geek culture while researching geekiness, geek community, culture and identity. Because there’s no studies of geek crafts, I used content analysis for visual material to create categories of the most typical geek crafts. In this research I used qualitative research practice. For content analysis I used 23 photographs of geek crafts and additional information I got from their senders. I defined variables of the geek crafts based on the material. From variables I defined preliminary categories and finally the typical examples of geek crafts. Geekiness as an identity is in many ways collective: as a geek you belong almost automatically to geek culture and also to geek community. Being a geek is being active towards ones interest but geekiness doesn’t disappear when geek isn’t actively geeking out. The identity rises from being an enthusiastic fan or hobbyist and sharing their interests with other geeks. Making geek crafts can be seen as a combining element between those who are interested of the same topic, because making and sharing crafts or using them in public increases feelings of belonging and participating to the social and concrete world. In current study 6 types of typical geek crafts were founded. Topics of the most typical geek crafts came from pop culture. Other types were: garments or accessories for roleplaying game; topics from science or technology; pop culture inspired roleplaying garments or accessories; science or technology inspired roleplaying garments or accessories; and topics that were considered to belong both pop culture and science or technology.