Despite decades of tech coverage, I’m not a geek

Originally published December 2011. Updated January 2026. After 40+ years in technology journalism, this principle remains central to my work.

Why detachment matters in journalism

The percentage may have changed slightly—technology has seeped deeper into everyone's lives since 2011—but the core principle hasn't: maintaining distance from geek culture makes for better technology journalism.

This isn't about lacking technical knowledge. It's about perspective. Technology journalists serve readers, not industry insiders. The moment you write primarily for other technology enthusiasts rather than the people who actually use technology in their daily lives and work, you've failed your audience.

According to How geeky are you? I’m only 15 per cent geek.

That seems right.

I fail because I don’t like science fiction or any other geeky form of entertainment.

Despite 30 years of writing about technology, geek culture hasn’t rubbed off on me.

I’m not comfortable when I’m with other technology journalists who want to talk about Star Trek or Dungeons and Dragons.

To say these things don’t interest me is an understatement.

We have science fiction books on our shelves at home. People who come to our house assume they are mine. They are not. They belong to Mrs B. And apart from her reading tastes, she is even less geeky than me.

Computers do not mean geek

Most of the points I scored on the geek test come from work. After all, I’ve spent years writing about computers and technology, I know the difference between a Rom and a Ram.

Of course, I have more than one dictionary – they are tools of my trade. And yes, I confess I correct people’s grammar. Editing has been my job for most of my adult life.

In the past, people have commented on my non-geek status making me the wrong person to edit a newspaper's computer pages, run a computer magazine or write about technology.

Detached

I disagree. A level of detachment means I can make better rational decisions. I’m less tempted to air my prejudices. It means I write for ordinary people, not geeks. In fact one of the skills I'm most proud of is being able to explain tricky things in plain English.

I’m a journalist first, technology specialist second. I can – and have – written about most subjects.

And anyway, most of my work has been writing for non-geek audiences. My lack of geekiness means I can better serve their needs.

This approach proved especially valuable when covering New Zealand's technology industry. Local companies need journalists who can explain their innovations to potential customers and investors, not just other technologists. Being able to translate technical developments into business and economic terms serves both the industry and the public better than insider jargon ever could.

The same applies when covering telecommunications regulation, business model challenges in media, or the impact of technology on society. These stories require understanding the technology, but they're fundamentally about people, economics, and social change.

My journalism training taught me to ask "why should readers care?" before "how does this work?" That order matters. Geeks often reverse it.

Journalism first, technology second

This reader-first approach shaped how I've covered journalism itself. When publishers struggled with digital transformation, the story wasn't about the technology—it was about business models, audience relationships and sustainable journalism.

When paywalls and subscriptions became necessary, the challenge wasn't technical implementation but convincing readers of the value proposition. When ad-blocking threatened publishers, it was fundamentally about the broken relationship between readers, publishers, and advertisers.

Technology enables or constrains these developments, but it's never the whole story. That's why detachment from geek culture remains an asset, not a liability.

More on journalism and media:

This post is part of ongoing coverage about journalism practice, business models and the craft of technology reporting:

• New Zealand tech journalism: the twilight years
• Lack of local technology news damages industry
• Apple's iPad won't save newspapers.
• 'Paywall' is off-putting, try talking about subscriptions
• Digital subscription spending hits the wall
• Does online media fill the gap left by newspapers