Question: From the readings and from your experience, what exactly is a hacker? That is, what are the key characteristics of the hacker archetype? Do you identify with these attributes? That is, would you consider yourself a hacker? What is your reaction to this characterization?
I think the hacker archetype is something which has evolved over the years as computers have become more and more a part of our everyday lives. At its core, though, many could argue that the hacker mindset existed long before computers. Examples such as John Draper using special tones to make free long distance calls, or African tribes learning to fight through “dances” exemplify that hacking is much more a mindset than something which is done on a computer. My characterization of a hacker before reading these articles was likely the same as that of many other people, unsociable tech nerds who sat at a computer for hours trying to use code to steal money or inconvenience someone. This personality was partly reflected in the “conscience of a hacker” manifesto, where the author claims all hackers are alike, that they would rather sit alone at a computer than interact with classmates, that they see themselves as smarter than those around them and feel some resentment towards non-hackers because of this. However, through the other readings I came to realize that this only represents a small faction of hackers, and they are not “all alike” as the author would have it. I have come to realize that at its core, having is about breaking down barriers, overcoming obstacles put in place by an authority to control or make money off people. Hackers are also driven by an extreme passion for what they do. They are curious about the world around them, and choose to explore that curiosity to find out what makes something tick. I also do not think that hackers and yuppies are incompatible, as one article claimed. Hackers are not required to have a disdain for authority, but rather just need to realize that things should not be taken on face value, that everything should be explored and tinkered with, just as John Draper was driven by a curiosity on how the telephone industry worked, yuppies are driven by a curiosity in how business works, what makes a stock price raise or what makes a consumer pick product X over product Y. In this sense, hackers and yuppies don’t seem too different at all.
I do not know if I would go so far as to consider myself a hacker. I think I certainly have a lot of curiosity about the world around me, but I also find that in many cases I choose to do things conveniently rather than devote myself to “hacking” certain processes. While a hacker may take time to find the most efficient walk to class I would simply take the route I am most familiar with. In many ways I accept the ways of the world, and this is something that I believe hackers refuse to do.