5 Reasons You Should Know More About Hacking

Hacking is a popular word these days, but despite the many benefits of the hacker and maker cultures, there's a lot of misunderstanding about what it entails and who it includes. If you're new to hacking, and even just a tiny bit interested in it, here are

Ashley Hennefer 55 69

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4 27th Sep 12

(Image: PLANETART / Flickr)

Hacking is a popular word these days, but despite the many benefits of the hacker and maker cultures, there’s a lot of misunderstanding about what it entails and who it includes. If you’re new to hacking, and even just a tiny bit interested in it, here are some reasons you might want to learn more.

5. Hacking is about more than just computers.

As I’ve recently written about, hacking isn’t what it used to be. While it’s definition is open to interpretation, it encompasses many subcultures, such as electronic hacking, homesteading, and urban survivalism, to name a few. Essentially, it’s about modifying something, whether that be our technology, our community, our possessions, or even ourselves. Understanding this helps to dispel the many negative connotations about what constitutes “hacking.” There are shades of hacking, as established by hacking computer culture–white, grey and black “hat” hacking–which refers to the intent of hacking, white meaning pure-intended and black meaning malicious. But most hacking activities, like homebrewing or building electric cars, are just about experimentation and exploration.

4. Hacking can help make your life safer.

Hacking used to be a bad word (remember that famous scene from Hackers about “hacking the Gibson”?) because of its connotation of wreaking havoc and unabashed thievery, but much of the movement in the past few years has been focused on preventing malicious hacking. Security companies hire expert hackers to find the exploits in their services. Competitive lockpicking, known as Locksport, encourages participants to pick locks in order to demonstrate the importance of investing in durable locks for their homes. When we think like hackers, we are better able to target vulnerabilities in our own lives.

A group practices lock picking at the Electromagnetic Field Festival in Sept. 2012. (image: Paul Miller / Flickr)

3. Hacking can make you more self-sufficient.

There’s a good reason why hackers can be found in popular movements, like the organic food or 3D printing movements. It’s because many hackers want to stop relying on others, so they seek out ways to independently produce the items and resources they need. For example, if a person knows how to grow her own food, fix her electronics, and build an electric car, she is able to still live within urban communities without having to buy outsourced produce, support unethical companies or contribute to dependence on oil.

2. Hacking is part of the civic process.

Innovation and progress happen when people think outside the box, or in some cases, when the box is destroyed entirely. The more people think like hackers, the more we can acknowledge our societal flaws by looking critically at what we can break, change and fix. Sometimes it’s necessary to break the rules to accomplish change and break through oppression, and community events like hackathons can encourage creative thinkers to become a bigger part of the civic process, bringing up new ideas and solutions to existing problems. Political efforts, like Occupy Wall Street, are able to coordinate entire movements using free and open source tools and technology, drawing attention to causes without going through mainstream media venues. Hacking produces new resources, like the PirateBox, which allow for independent exchange of information and media.

Occupy Wall Street’s media center. (image: Mat McDermott / Flickr)

1. You might already be a hacker.

Do you enjoy customizing parts of your life? Are you interested in how to make technology work better for you? Are you tired of relying on corrupt or oppressive societal expectations that dictate your life? Do you solving problems or puzzles? Are you rebellious and willing to challenge the status quo? If you said “yes” to any of these questions, or even a tentative “maybe,” you might already be a hacker–which means that it’s in your best interest to learn what hacking is all about, because you might find a place for your skills and interests within its ranks.

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