>>96287701
>now
You're young.
Tricking nerds (and any western protestant consumer group really) into thinking they're the most pure and eXtreme has been a thing since before you were born. Sport accessories, cigarettes, kitchen appliances,, all that shit. You sell more of it by creating a culture where every consumer thinks they're the True example of whatever that identity is.
Nerds get an extra layer of pretention by most of their interests being researchable very easily so they can put in minimal effort to know a seemingly large amount about an otherwise obscure (because no one in their right mind would give a fuck about it) facet of buying shit and having liked it before it was cool.