Why We Love Hackers

I wanted to include this in my previous post, The Hacker Mythos, but I just couldn’t find a place to put it. In The Hacker Mythos, I focused on the causes and spread of the hacker mythos. I also touched on the fact that we are enamored with hackers. We just love those masterful technophiles. But why do we love them? And perhaps “love” is the wrong word. Most people don’t love the hacker. However, when we break down people into groups, we will find that some people love hackers, some people are fascinated with hackers, some people are in awe of hackers, some people are curious about hackers, and some people simply fear hackers. Typically, most people who know of hackers have a combination of the above five attitudes: love, fascination, awe, curiosity, and fear. For this post, I think I’ll just stick with the fascination/curiosity attitudes since it seems that most people share these attitudes about hackers. So, why are we fascinated by hackers?

I think there are a few primary reasons why people are fascinated by the hacker.Obviously, there are many reasons why people are fascinated by hackers, or rather, the idea of a hacker. The idea of a hacker is expressed by the hacker mythos: the hacker is elusive, mysterious, cryptic, cool, handsome (thanks Hollywood), anonymous, intelligent, eccentric, analytical, etc. He deals with the arcane, obscure, and esoteric world of computing. Now, the three reasons I believe the hacker sparks off such interest are as follows:

The hacker is…

• mysterious
• knowledgeable
• deviant

Mystery

Hackers often aren’t in the limelight unless they have committed some kind of cybercrime, and, even then (especially then), they prize anonymity. There is something about the unknown, and unknowable, that just drives people’s interest. It doesn’t hurt that the hacker’s mysterious nature eventually leads to rumor and, typically unsupported, belief. People have a burning need to have a complete view of something, so they’ll fill that view with just about anything. For hackers, the view is filled with common beliefs about the hacker, the hacker mythos.

 

Knowledge

The hacker is a veritable maestro of the electronic arts. His knowledge and skill of computing is second to none; he clearly understands a world that few others dare acknowledge. How he does this is a mystery to most other people. To most people, the hacker almost seems to be a computer. This perception isn’t too far off the mark. The hacker speaks the computer’s language, thinks like a computer, and may even act like a computer i.e. act very logically and disinterested.

As implied in the paragraph above, it’s not just the amount of knowledge a hacker possess that enthralls us, it’s the type of knowledge. The world of computing is a mystery to most people and anyone who can successfully navigate its treacherous waters becomes an object of fascination.

 

Deviant

The hacker by his nature, knowledge/skill, and anonymity distances himself from the everyday man. He’s a technological deviant. He uses technology in ways, perhaps, the creators of the technology hadn’t intended.

Why do we have a fascination with a mysterious, technologically savvy, deviant? It’s natural for people to be interested in things or people that are unique and exotic. The hacker meets both of those requirements.

Summary

People have a keen interest in the mysterious and the deviant, especially when those objects of fascination seem to possess an otherworldly power. The hacker is seemingly mysterious by nature. His knowledge is arcane and immense. And he is made a deviant by his personality, knowledge, and works. Is it any wonder why so many people have a fascination with the hacker?

In my previous post, I had remarked on the effect that the entertainment industry, news outlets, and word-of-mouth has had on the hacker mythos. As a parting challenge, how do you think these channels of information have shaped people’s interest in the hacker? If you need some help, there’s a hint in the Mystery section of this post.