The social type of the nerd is a very unique and varied identity. For some time it meant someone who was outside of popular culture, but gradually the nerd has emerged as a valid culture. In some respects it can be described as a new counterculture. The drawback to a counterculture status is that it can eventually be absorbed by popular culture and become a commodified lifestyle that betrays its original purpose. The heart of being a nerd is as someone who not only loves knowledge for its own sake, but an absolute refusal to be popular. The growth of nerd culture must always be aware of its primary roots.