01: Hackers

In The Conscience of a Hacker, the author criticizes the general negative view of a hacker as a criminal. He says, "My crime is that of curiosity." In Hackers and Painters, Paul Graham explains that hackers and painters are both "makers." He simply describes a hacker as someone who is "writing interesting software." Hackers are more often than not given the reputation by society as being evil and taking advantage of the common people. Paul Graham explains, though, that the reputation a society gives to hackers does not matter. It only becomes a problem if the actual hacker views himself/herself in this manner. Further describing a hacker, the Portrait of J. Random Hacker says that hackers generally have "high intelligence, consuming curiosity, and facility with intellectual abstractions." In How yuppies hacked the original hacker ethos, the author says that "the hacker is ambiguous, specializing in deviance from established boundaries." All of the articles agree that a hacker exhibits a drive for learning and a passion for creativity.

I agree that hackers are misunderstood by society. Hackers are creative in an unconventional sense. They have special talents that most of society does not have. With a high intelligence and technical curiosity, hackers take problems and think about them from a different perspective to create new things. Like Mark Zuckerberg says in his Letter to Investors, hackers are enabling the ability to share ideas and information around the world. By providing an almost instantaneous means of communication, people from all cultures are given the opportunity to learn from others with different views. In this technological age, we as modern people should be striving to grow by understanding what others have to say. Hackers, although given a poor reputation by those who don't understand them, are truly creative beings, skilled with an ability to think artistically. Although learning to become a hacker is challenging, I believe that anyone with a strong sense of curiosity and ability to problem solve can become one. It takes determination paired with a passion for learning. Hackers have the capability to bring the world together in a way that even our world leaders are unable to achieve. At the age of technology, news spreads in seconds and the world's information becomes available at our fingertips. Hackers provide these portals of information sharing. They have accepted the responsibility of making the world a more well-learned place. The more we learn about other cultures, people, traditions, politics, science, etc., we open our minds and accept the differences inherent in our neighbors. Therefore, I believe that society forms their opinion of hackers from the few hackers who use their skills to wrongly take advantage of others. However, society fails to appreciate the majority of hackers who improve the world and ultimately make the lives of people easier. Those who have the traits of curiosity and passion should not be misguided by the opinion of society. They should embrace their skills and take on the challenge of hacking because it makes the world a better place.