When it comes to our nerdy interests I know I am not the only one to experience an overwhelming desire to share your enthusiasm and excitement for a new release, a drastic need to express your bottomless pit of sadness over the loss of your favourite character, or even just the craving to see what more is out there in your current obsession. Feeling all these things and then having no one to confide in or no one to express the appropriate level of devastation with you can lead to a depth of loneliness that must be remedied. And from personal experience, I have several proven remedies to bring your nerdy interests into a new level, and also bring more joy to your life. These remedies, however, will take a lot of personal growth because they require something a lot of nerdy individuals have to suffer with and adapt to everyday… Talking to other people!

    However, if you can take that first and terrifying step into the world, The memories and friends you make along the way will be worth every second of discomfort you might have in the beginning. Let’s take this journey together!

1. Jumping In, Digital Feet First!

Let’s start with something easy for our socially anxious people like myself, which is joining an online group. Facebook groups, discord servers, reddit threads, and even youtube videos are all ways to be a fly on the wall of nerdy discourse. Being able to just dip your toes into the community you love without having to recoil from strong opposing positions or opinions really can help with further steps you might take in joining or even forming your own nerdy communities. 

Just scrolling through discord and reddit threads to gauge others ideas and information on trends, industry news, or even just seeing other people show off their nerdy things can bring you into a community you thought you were not privy to. Watching videos can also give you a sense of belonging to that content creators own online nerd community, and can give great visual insight to things you might be interested in. 

I will caution you when diving into the online community, it can become very toxic VERY fast. When scrolling through these forums and videos please make sure to know that the people who post or share do not represent everyone in these communities. There will be some people who will voice louder and more passionately than others. Make sure you step away periodically and also dive into your own research when it comes to these topics to give yourself the right perspective on what really fits what you’re looking for in a community. Following people in the industry(comic book writers, game developers, etc) that are on social media platforms like twitter or tiktok will give you first had information on what really happens in the areas of nerdom that you enjoy without leading you down a path of misinformation that you can find on some online forums. 

1. Going out into the World!

For a comic book enthusiast like myself, having an already established common area for like minded comic fans to go is pretty easy, the local comic book store. These would also be good places to start your journey into the nerdom if your interests include card games like magic the gathering or pokemon or others, board games or table top games like warhammer, or even roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons. These vaults of nerd wealth can help in your journey not only for more information about your chosen nerdy interest but will help develop friendships along the way. Talking with the staff for recommendations and new releases will begin to develop a rapport with those individuals. These are also great places to find community events that the store might be sponsoring or putting on themselves. These events are where you can meet other like minded nerds and give you all a space to connect, give you all a reason to be conversing together without an awkward introduction. 

Now, again, I must caution you about these places as well. Like the online forums, shops and their staff do NOT represent the masses when it comes to opinions about these nerdy interests. I suggest “feeling out” a shop, and by that I mean going to it and observing the employees and what views these shops are promoting. If the shop is not stocking items from a community you self identity with, or if the staff actively and openly belittles certain groups or communities then this might not be the best place to find a welcoming community. Through my experience, I have found that no matter what your opinion is, if someone is unable to accept others and their groups, they are not people who will accept you without you changing for them. I advise finding a shop who is open and listens to their customers. 

1. “Fine, I’ll do it Myself.”

Once you have found online forums and shops that you go to regularly and trust, it might be time to take the biggest leap of all and plan some type of monthly or weekly event or gathering. I will admit this is the HARDEST thing to do, especially for socially anxious people like myself. However, once you have established yourself within a group, whether that be online or in a shop, you will get the support from that group. I can guarantee that almost everyone in that group wants this too. But where to start? Here are some suggestions that I have used in the past that I still use to this day. 

1. Starting a Club(Book Club, Movie Club,Etc)
   As a comic book fan, asking your local comic shop to host a monthly graphic novel book club is a life changing experience. I have been hosting one for over ten years and the friends I have made from it have given me some of my greatest joys. The shop will also love it just from a profit standpoint because they will make more consistent sales and might even give the members discounts. Meeting every month for a movie at a theatre and then talking about it after gives people a sense of connection and community as well. Just creating a meetup, a purpose for gathering, will help with excitement and engagement in your hobby. 
2. Individual Swap Meets
   Whether you collect comics, video games, card games, POPs, or anything collectible you will find people who want to trade. I have been too and host so many of these local trade meetups. Getting people together and having the ability to trade with each other and just talk with each other is just such a fun afternoon event. I would suggest not trying to do it in a shop because most shops want people to buy things, but you can always ask. I’ve done them in Pizza Dinners, parks, churches. Just big areas that people can gather. Food always helps these things too!
3. Making Your Own Content
   This might be one of the more difficult paths for finding a community but I can promise from first hand experience it is one of the most rewarding. Making content on youtube, tiktok, or any platform where your point of view is now on display leaves yourself open and vulnerable for others to bring their toxic behaviour to your attention. Learning to take a step back every so often, leaning into the community and friends you have already made, and trusting in your own message and self will be the backbone to your continued content creation. I started out scared of people not accepting me and making fun of me and my content, and I won’t lie that happened. However, the more videos and content I put out there, the more people looked. The more people engaged with my content and I learned so much and most importantly I was able to make friendships with people who not only uplifted the communities I loved but uplifted me. Just be kind and understanding when putting out any kind of content. Think through the message you are trying to send and how it might affect others. Never hide who you are but please do not let your content’s message be overshadowed by bigotry and hate.

These are not the only ways to find or build a community for the things you love and are passionate about. The ways listed here are just what have worked for me and many others around the globe that I have met personally on my nerdy journey. Community has been massively important to myself and others for finding a way to express ourselves and to help uplift others. We all love these nerdy things, it’s what brings up togethers, but what keeps us coming back is the people and joy we share among each other. Make sure to comment below other ways you have found in joining or creating community for your nerdy passion.