Abstract
<p>Hacker culture is generally regarded as a subculture, and the public has a high degree of misunderstanding towards hackers. The media reports sometimes depict hackers overly negatively, possibly because hackers could gain a dominant position in the age of information and, therefore, threaten the existing balance of social power distribution. Moreover, those reports, whether intentionally or not, misunderstand the meaning of “hackers”: “Hackers” are people who want to identify and solve problems directly and effectively, but “crackers” are those who cause problems for society.</p>However, it is not merely a problem of media’s misnomer. This research shows that apart from the media distortion of hacker identity, even the hackers with positive intentions still have real potential to become crackers. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to understand why the transition from “hackers” to “crackers” takes place by identifying crucial factors that influence hackers’ behaviors. Specifically, the inherent conflicts between cyberspace and the real world can turn hackers into crackers. Through the research, two major conflicts are identified: the conflict between freedom and responsibility and the conflict between individuality and authority. To support the arguments, the history of hacker culture and specific cases of hacking events are studied and discussed. The research also brings a crucial issue: how do we co-exist with information technology in a society that is increasingly computerized and digitalized? To face this problem, we need to comprehensively understand situations faced by human civilization in the information era. Hacker culture is, therefore, a practical perspective of studying social transformations in the development of technology.
Highlights
It is not merely a problem of media’s misnomer
Hacker culture is generally regarded as a subculture, and the public has a high degree of misunderstanding towards hackers
Cyberspace has a high degree of complexity;[1] the diverse interpersonal relationships of cyberspace users, the multiple identities of an individual user,[2] the different patterns of logic employed by users with various backgrounds and the imbalanced degrees of IT know-how lead to a huge disparity among cyberspace groups of users
Summary
Computerization’s enormous capacity for interaction allows different users, from online gamers to professional programmers, to create their own virtual space beyond physical restrictions. 2. For more information about identity, see “‘Education in Disguise’: Culture of a Hacker and Maker Space” by Schrock. Even though IT knowledge, programming skills and technical knacks ensure the dominant power of hackers in and only in virtual space, the potential damage to real society can be tremendous because almost everything in the information age is digitalized, or computerized .7. The sensationalism of the media reflects increasing alarm towards Internet security, because the development of media is always in pace with the changing informational platforms.[9] Nowadays, while chasing the exploding speed of digitalization, media itself is undergoing a profound shift in its original definition—from “media” to “new media.”. For more about information sharing, diversity and anti-tradition, see “Education in Disguise: Culture of a Hacker and Maker Space” P4 by Schrock. Account for all of the destruction caused by hackers? What can explain the increase in both the seriousness and quantity of Internet crimes?
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