Rampant consumerism and tech saviourism are not solely the domain of “nerds”, nor are they true of all “nerds”. The group you are looking for is “people”.

Plenty of people you would never consider nerds will throw away their old phone just to get the newer model. They will assume they have no responsibilities to the world or to the community because government/science/jesus will sort the big problems out. They will live in their own tiny worlds never even considering the bigger problems at play.

Why do you think this is a problem that only affects nerds?

If you don’t exist outside the simulation then for all intents and purposes this is your reality. Might as well make it a good one.

I am enjoying Solar2D! Lua based engine for desktop and mobile, working on a virtual pet game. So easy to get something working quickly

Just because something makes individuals happy doesn’t eliminate the consequences. Most people would probably agree that cars are more convenient for sure, but they are highly inefficient compared to public transport.

You might not trust your government to manage public transportation effectively and that’s completely reasonable, but is that the same as saying public transportation has no value and we should all just get cars and to hell with the consequences?