Traditionally (as of 2021), there was an apparent dichotomy between geek and hacker culture and "mainstream" culture. Geeks were considered intelligent, but unattractive, shy, anti-social, unathletic, and often without "real-life" social life. My 2005 "The Human Hacking Field Guide" story presented male and female open source and open/free content geeks and hackers as competent, confident, sexually attractive, socially capable, assertive, as well as popular and coveted. It was written as an antithesis to Paul Graham's "Why Nerds are Unpopular" essay and the Buffyesque false social dichotomy. Some commentators claimed it was detrimental, because the target demographic for "open source"/etc. geeks was the social outcasts, "uncool" kids.

However, by the time the first season of The Big Bang Theory aired during late 2007, it was an established observation that geeks and hackers were the Alphas. Moreover, I believe that its primary "anti-Geek" character, Penny, despite her "hot dumb blonde girl" image, and her ignorance and laymanship, was a superb hacker and geek. This is because she constantly challenged and broke the hidden rules of the show's more stigmatic (and less attractive looking) geeks, and because she was passionate and enthusiastic about many of her endeavours. Moreover, she is often depicted as trying to emulate the nerdier/dorkier geeks, and successfully.