Week 12 - Hacker Culture, An Ideal or still Relevant ?

Hacker Culture

When the word Hacker is mentioned, most people have the misconception perpetuated by Hollywood and "The Matrix" where a person in a hoodie is crouched down, staring at a computer screen in a dark room.

For those of us who study IT and programming, hacker culture represents passion, to  discover the unknown, a collective where meritocracy earns respect and admiration. 

As a person who is leans more towards social science, what relates me the most to Hacker culture is the indomitable spirit of learning, curiosity and sharing.

In this age of worsening social inequality and climate change, most people of our generation are anxious, depressed and beaten down by the complexity of these wicked problems. We seem resigned to our fate that nothing changes and our quality of life will continue to deteriorate. 

Perhaps what Hacker culture brings in this context, is about being creative and resourceful in tackling these issues. While the news and social media often utilize sensational headlines to distract the common man, Black Hats and White Hats are working silently in the background advancing social progress one step at a time. From publishing information about corruption, tax evasion to busting pedophile rings., Hacker culture has much we can learn from. 

Is the Hacker Ethic limited to computers and technology ? No. Hacker culture embraces true meritocracy without prejudice of skin colour, race or creed.

 

"Time is what determines security, with enough time nothing is unhackable"

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