Hear the word “geek” and visions of someone overly intellectual and socially awkward may come to mind. When that “geek” is also a “dad” the image may very well be a middle-aged man wearing black socks with sandals and a pocket protector, but new thinking may be changing all that for the better.
A new survey by Cisco’s (NASDAQ: CSCO) Home Networking Business, maker of Linksys products, finds that today’s geeks are cooler, connected and more engaged fathers than people may realize.
A “geek dad” is a father who is enthusiastic about technology and knowledgeable about the latest innovations. The Confessions of a Geek Dad survey* conducted in December byAnswers Research, found that 71 percent of geek dads say they spend more time doing activities with their kids than their fathers did with them.
Today’s geek dads have a wide variety of interests, including being music lovers (82 percent), outdoor enthusiasts (65 percent), all-around fix-it guys (79 percent), gaming fanatics (78 percent) and sports buffs (77 percent). In fact, 70 percent of geek dads say their kids think they are cool because they’re a tech geek.
And when called a “tech geek” by their kids, 87 percent say that makes them feel proud or humored. Also, most geek dads (69 percent) say they’re cooler than other dads, attributing their coolness factor to creating a home where their kids’ friends love hanging out (75 percent).
These statistics are part of a new wave of fathers who are using technology to connect with their families to create fun and memorable traditions and are more confident in their own abilities as parents.
“Today’s generation of fathers has grown up fed on a never-ending evolution of technology, from the touch-tone phone to Atari and Apple,” said Clay Nichols, self-proclaimed geek dad and blogger at DadLabs.com.
Geek dads create unique experiences
“Throw in the proliferation of tech in everyday life, and it’s not surprising to see a new class of dads who are able to translate tech knowledge, passion and expertise into unique experiences that are redefining family time.”
“It’s about embracing a new reality. You can be just as excited about new technology and what you can do with it, as when you were a teenager — and that’s what keeps you cool,” said Nichols.
Interestingly, the survey showed that 72 percent of geek dads (especially younger ones age 24-39 at 79 percent) say they’re more excited about teaching kids how to use tech tools than the traditional workbench tools their dads taught them. In fact, 93 percent of geek dads say they assist their kids with their tech toys with nearly 80 percent saying they’re always one of the first of their friends to buy new tech products.
“We recognize that technology in the home can create meaningful experiences with kids, whether it’s editing videos together, playing games or researching shared passions,” said Elizabeth Jones, senior marketing manager, Cisco Home Networking Business Unit.
“Geek dads are more confident and we want to fuel their connectivity with home networking solutions that connect all their new tech toys with ease and performance.”
The survey showed that slow Internet (25 percent) and Wi-Fi connectivity issues (19 percent) are the top frustrations geek dads face when it comes to home technologies. Cisco says its new Linksys E4200V2 Maximum Performance Wireless-N Dual Band Router, might be the answer to that, geek dad or not, users get maximum streaming speed for HD/3D quality video streaming, superior wireless coverage, and faster USB hard drive disk performance for streaming media.
