My first introduction to the idea of a "hacker" came from playing video games as a kid. I was terrible at most of the video games I tried, but this barrier was not going to stop me. When I eventually got access to the internet, I found my saviors in the form of video game "hackers". These mystical figures could find every bug, exploit, and cheat to let me bend the rules. As I grew older, this idea of "breaking the rules" is how I envisioned hackers. While the means and purpose always vary, hackers beat the system in ways not intended. However, I would not say that I took this idea too seriously. Pop culture painted hackers as stereotypes with few aspirations, which did not catch my interest as a kid. The video from the second lecture titled "Hackers - Technobabble" really summed up how I saw hacking as a whole.
This reading from Steven Levy gave me an entirely new perspective on the idea of hacking. Levy describes "true hackers" as people who push the boundary of current understanding or ability to solve problems. This effort represents a curiosity with how the world works, as well as how to improve it for the betterment of themselves or others. To best demonstrate this idea, Levy discusses the "Hacker's Ethic": a philosophical code that promotes removing any barriers to information and creativity. These barriers could be anything from authority figures, financial costs, or personal attributes. All that really matters is your hacking. For example, Levy describes a 12-year-old boy who was accepted into the TX-0 community despite his age. His proficient programming abilities after only a few weeks led him to be seen as an equal in the eyes of the first "true hackers" at MIT. Levy sees "true hackers" as those who follow these ideas in their every action.
I find this anti-bureaucratic mindset very inspiring. The idea that nothing can stop me from innovating makes problems like finances, burn-out, or lack of creativity seem silly.
After the reading, the idea of a "true hacker" is quite daunting to me. I originally saw hackers as those who only took advantage of a fault, but this infantilizes a true hacker's purpose. True hackers strive for perfection. They desire to perfect their own knowledge, the works of others, and ultimately the world. It terrifies me to think of how impactful hacking truly can be, but I am so intrigued to explore it at the same time. Reading about the hacker ethic, culture, community, and achievements all just scratched an itch like finding that perfect new show. I hope this class can push me to match the standards of a "true hacker", even if I have no idea how deep the rabbit hole goes.
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