I’m not fussed about that word in particular. It’s been slang for “basement dweller” since the movie C.H.U.D. came out in the 80s, and I feel like each generation attaches new meanings to it.
IME, it’s one of those slang words that has found purchase more in online conversation than offline, which I think makes it a signifier of being “internet fluent” among people who find pride themselves on being knowledgeable about the internet. Combine that with it’s origin as a description of underground creatures despised by the broader society, and I think it makes sense that it would resonate with internet communities that self describe as losers e.g. 4chan, incels, femcels.
I’m not fussed about that word in particular. It’s been slang for “basement dweller” since the movie C.H.U.D. came out in the 80s, and I feel like each generation attaches new meanings to it.
IME, it’s one of those slang words that has found purchase more in online conversation than offline, which I think makes it a signifier of being “internet fluent” among people who find pride themselves on being knowledgeable about the internet. Combine that with it’s origin as a description of underground creatures despised by the broader society, and I think it makes sense that it would resonate with internet communities that self describe as losers e.g. 4chan, incels, femcels.