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MSU | Culture > Entertainment

You Need To Nerd Out: We All Do

Katie Tait Student Contributor, Michigan State University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at MSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

The trending audio “you need to nerd out” on TikTok is all over my feed — and I love it. 

I love this trend because it’s freeing to see people being encouraged to enjoy hobbies and media that truly bring them joy. As a person in Gen Z, and having grown up with technology, the idea of what is socially acceptable or ‘cool’ is right at our fingertips and it can be hard not to conform to it. When you choose not to conform, this generation can be harsh about it. How many videos are there of younger people making fun of millennials for their obsession with Disney or Harry Potter?

Like those things! Harry Potter is awesome and Disney is fun. When we don’t allow ourselves to love things, especially when they’re nostalgic, it does a disservice to the kid that lives inside of us. Preserve the whimsy; love the silly things you did as a kid. Talk about it, post about it, nerd out about it! There are so many people and communities who like the same things as you, and finding them makes it even more fun.

I can remember back to a time when, if you asked me what my interests and hobbies were, I genuinely would have struggled to answer that. When I wasn’t at school, playing sports, or working, I didn’t know what I liked to do. I would maybe say that I liked to read, but then I would be embarrassed if I thought the books I read were ‘cringy.’ I might say that I like media, but when asked about what kind, I would comb through my brain to tell them the most digestible, universally liked answers. How boring.

So read your fan-fiction. Rant about that ‘embarrassing’ romance book. Play Roblox. Watch anime. In fact, there is nothing nerdy about these kinds of things. The coolest thing you can do isn’t having the ‘cool interests’ — it’s loving yours unapologetically.

Katie Tait

MSU '27

Tait is a third-year student at Michigan State University. This is her fifth semester as an HC chapter member. She is the HCMSU Recruitment Chair.

Tait is a psychology major who has always been passionate about the subject. She also loves to read and write, she was in her high school literature club, which inspired her to join HC.

When she is not reading or studying, Tait enjoys spending lots of time outside. She loves to be with her friends and is always consuming copious amounts of media.