Subculture "hackers": features and history

At the turn of the 20th century, humanity experienced a major revolution in the sphere of mass communications. The creation of the World Wide Web has contributed to the emergence of such a unique phenomenon as the Internet space. The development of new technologies has led to the emergence of a special subculture of hackers, specialists engaged in the development, study and implementation of computer innovations.

History of occurrence

To date, information is not only a cognitive function, but also a powerful tool of manipulation, a means to achieve any goals. With the growth of the importance of the Internet in the life of all mankind, people have appeared who seek to delve deeper and more specifically into the technical issues of programming and the hidden possibilities of the World Wide Web.

In order to understand the goals and objectives of this social group, it is necessary first to understand in more detail what the subculture "hackers" is. It is not easy to answer this question briefly, since their community is rather specific and closed to the majority. Although this phenomenon is not so new, with the beginning of the era of scientific research, there have always been people who are striving to be pioneers, to find new technologies and ways of their practical application.

The subculture "hackers", whose year of organization it is very difficult to name, has emerged as a narrow community of leading figures striving to learn more and understand the system, to be able to change and control it. In the 80-ies of the twentieth century, programmers experienced the rise of their movement, their work was aimed at creating and improving new technologies. Many of them turned out to be real enthusiasts, they promoted free Internet and universal access to all resources.

However, with the growth of the role of the media in the public, economic and political life of the country, with the advent of unlimited possibilities in the Internet space, the nature of the actions of programmers also changes. The era of online fraud, cyberattacking and terrorism begins.

Definition

The appearance of personal computers has become the starting point for the emergence of the movement, which can now be called the "youth subculture" hackers. " Translation of this definition from English has no analogues in Russian, the verb to hack in the usual sense means "hack", "shred", and in the field of information technology - "hack the system" or "patch it." Everything depends on the direction of activity.

There are several understandings of what the subculture "hackers" is. In English, as in Russian, the word has many meanings, and all of them reflect this or that side of the specifics of their work. The general definition can be formulated as follows:

• This person is addicted and enjoys researching the details of software systems;
• Seeking to explore the maximum technological possibilities;
• One who is an expert and enthusiast in his work;
• Loving to find answers to intellectual problems of the system.

Unfortunately, in recent years, the youth subculture "hackers" is perceived as a community of criminals extracting confidential information or stealing money from people's accounts. Crackers (as it is customary to call unscrupulous programmers) is really much more, too tempting for quick and easy earning.

Kinds

Despite the dissimilarity of the developmental processes in comparison with the rest of the culturological layers of society, the subculture "hackers" has all the signs of social differentiation, there are traditions, language, style of behavior, manifesto and own ideology. So, Eric Raymond, programmer and activist of the movement, is also the compiler and editor of the encyclopaedic dictionary, where all the data on their special slang are collected.

In this environment, there is a clear structure, the status of the burglar depends on his reputation, and the score can only be taken from equal to him or more advanced operators. Usually they are distinguished depending on the motives of the activity: the so-called Black hat and White hat. "White Hats" investigate the system, identify weaknesses and then eliminate the problem, while "black hats", or crackers, carry out an unauthorized hacking system, steal information or money, and also create malicious programs - viruses.

The latter are none other than ordinary criminals, only the environment and the methods of theft change. At the moment, in all countries of the world, strict punitive measures are applied to such persons.

Peculiarities of perception

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, there are scientific works aimed at studying what the subculture is "hackers". Briefly about them you can say the following: research is devoted to the search for problems of a new era of high technology, to study the impact of this culture on society and young people. Such interest is not accidental, most teenagers perceive hackers as a kind of pirates, heroes, with one stroke of the hand capable of doing something unimaginable.

The world of technologies is a rather closed structure, especially since the terminology and style of communication of system operators are inaccessible to understanding of ordinary people. Therefore, society presents them, based on stereotypes about what a subculture is, "hackers". Clothing, hairstyles, the manner of talking and their other habits are known to us only conditionally, and therefore the most incredible speculations are born.

In the view of many, a programmer is a kind of ugly, untidy young man, a virgin and a loser in real life who spends his days at the computer. His power and knowledge are concentrated in the digital world, where he can be both a great visionary and a big rascal.

Internet as a social environment

Subculture "hackers" began to actively develop and develop their own principles with the advent and global spread of the World Wide Web. The causes of this phenomenon are economic, political and social. For many people, the Internet has become a place where you can show your abilities, arrange a life and find self-determination.

If, at the dawn of the birth of computers, the operatives worked on the improvement of bulky computers, at the end of the 20th and beginning of the 21st century, Their activities have completely moved to the virtual world. Now there is a subculture "hackers", and its representatives operate with large information and intellectual resources and actively use the Internet space for their needs.

The World Wide Web is becoming more and more like a social reality. There is a political, economic, legal and spiritual sphere where people receive information and even work. Every year, virtual reality is replenished with new residents and receives a wider geographical distribution.

Value settings

This community is rather fragmented and, most importantly, conspiratorial. Their slogans, rules and laws are not binding, but some of them have become general principles of the movement. Values were formulated by the first ideologists Stephen Levy, L. Blankenship, E. Raymond, the main provisions that are promoted and which the subculture seeks "hackers", are as follows:

• Unlimited access to computers;
• Free information on the web;
• Control of control from one center;
• Indifference to color and creed;
• The proclamation of non-standard thinking;
• The release of programs accessible to all;
• Help those who need technical support;
• Transfer of knowledge and skills;
• Computers can change lives for the better.

Many statements echo the slogans of the hippies, proclaiming peace and freedom in everything. But it's worth noting that some well-known programmers did adhere to these rules, for example, Linus Torvalds developed a free Linux operating system, and Richard Stallman devoted almost half his life to promoting the idea of free software. On the Web, you can often find agitational documents and photos of hackers: the original manifesto, logos, magazines and other information.

Lifestyle, fashion style

If in the environment of reference frames, emo, hippies, etc., the style of clothing is an important distinctive factor, a way of self-expression, then among the experts of the software other signs of identification were established. The main thing is to gain a personal reputation, because everyone wants to show their individuality and not go on about stereotypes or fashion.

Most of the time they spend in the virtual world, which largely affected the appearance and habits of people who identify themselves with the followers of the community, called "subculture hackers." The manner of dressing corresponds to several principles - convenience, freedom and reliability. Therefore, it is impossible to single out any particular detail that emphasizes the person's belonging to this community.

Those who want to attract attention, often use T-shirts with catchy inscriptions or pictures. Most often they contain a specific idea, which adheres to the subculture hackers. The style of clothes does not emphasize the nuances of work, but, on the contrary, makes a hacker an ordinary person.

Features of communication

Despite the stereotype that most of the time hackers aimlessly spend behind the computer screen, they are very well-read and educated people. The range of their interests is wide, but more often it is connected with scientific and technical literature. In this environment, there is a special tradition of conducting conversations. Subculture "hackers", in English meaning "cut", "chop", suggests using only understandable terminology to its representatives, phrases, expressions and graphic signs.

In this environment, it is very fashionable to have an additional occupation or hobby, sometimes radically different from the main activity: music, theater, computer games, radio, machine design or useful appliances.

The subculture of hackers and its features are also manifested in the example of communicating with each other and with other people. Psychologists who study the personal qualities of representatives of this profession, note some common features for most of them: almost all of them are quite closed, live in their own world, and therefore people are very reserved and rarely can understand and share the emotional state of another person.

Individual characteristics

The youth structure of hackers is very difficult to study, its representatives - individualists by nature, try to develop their own views on life, they are rarely exposed to someone else's influence. Most of these people have a very good education, and the nature of their professions is very different: from linguists to mathematicians. And the reason for their enthusiasm for high technologies is most often the dissatisfaction with the acquired knowledge, the search for non-standard solutions to problems.

The specifics of the work requires from the programmer not only high intelligence, but also good memory - the ability to quickly memorize and, if necessary, extract certain knowledge. A strong incentive for them is money and recognition, but most of all excitement causes the search for solutions to complex and interesting problems.

Features of work

An IT specialist can not be called anyone who thinks he is a good expert on computer systems. These people are true professionals in their field, and they gain the necessary authority over the years. Details of their work are very difficult to learn, largely because of the complexity of understanding by uninitiated people, and also in connection with the secrecy of some projects.

Celebrity crackers - Kevin Poulsen, Kevin Mitnick, Julian Assange and Chris Casperki - after the career of the burglars willingly shared their knowledge and experience with the society, tried to warn young people against mistakes and criminal moves. It was the ancestors of the movement that created a special ethic and the principles of "adventure and discovery" (or "do no harm"). Unfortunately, a new generation of programmers is often self-taught, who have come to the profession for quick earning or high-profile fame.

Many large organizations seek to have such an employee in the state or outside the state, since no economic, political or cultural activity is possible today without the use of high technologies.

Problems with law

On the part of society and the state, a very straightforward evaluation of the activity of specialists in high technologies has developed, very often members of this brotherhood are considered potential criminals. Although the latter have their arguments, according to which unused computer resources are not considered to be someone else's property. Therefore, in every country they try to think through and organize a legal system of punishment.

In Russia, there are several articles for cybercrime, including fraud, the distribution of pornographic materials, illegal access or the creation and deployment of malicious programs.

Periodicity

We can single out several generations of hacker movement, of course, only "white" figures are accepted:

• Pioneers of the community worked on the creation of computers, they were employees of computing institutions, intellectuals and enthusiasts who are trying to realize their crazy and ambitious plans;
• In the late 1970s they actively implemented personal computers, improved software;
• In the 1980s, all major programs and networks were created, and at the same time, value guidelines and the principles to be adhered to were formulated;
• The modern generation of hackers is successfully mastering cyberspace, trying to prevent global control over the entire Internet.

Thus, it can be noted that the development of this subculture takes place within the framework of improving computer technologies, these two phenomena are completely interconnected.

Celebrities

As in any culture, hackers have their leaders, connoisseurs and legends, their life and work become methodical material for beginning programmers. At the dawn of the development of computer technology, they were also motivated by the interest of pioneers, the idea of finding adventures and new solutions.

One of the first creators of the malicious virus was Robert Morris, in 1988 the "Morris worm" paralyzed the work of hundreds of computers, later he was charged for this violation. Already in 2000 Adrian Lamo successfully found errors in the security systems of large Internet companies, although many still consider him only a great PR man.

McKinnon Gary became the most scandalous burglar of recent decades, he managed to penetrate the NASA and Pentagon systems, he justified himself by wanting to obtain information about the concealment by the US government of the facts of contact with extraterrestrial civilizations. This community is rather narrow, all figures are familiar with each other, and it's easy to find a joint photo of hackers on the Internet.

Some of them devoted their lives not only to programming problems, they expressed an active social position through social networks or writing activities. Julian Assage, ten years ago, published a book about the life and work of hackers. He became famous also for exposing the top-secret information of many countries on the pages of his website Wikileaks.

Scandals

The modern generation perceives the burglars as pirates, noble robbers, struggling with the system and world domination. Unfortunately, under this manifesto people of far not benevolent intentions sometimes hide. The so-called crackers, or malicious intruders, are practiced in various spheres of criminal activity, from simple fraud and obtaining secret information to the destruction of entire systems.

Very often in the center of major public scandals are hackers: photos of celebrities in the nude, exposure of biographies of well-known politicians, throwing inaccurate information on the Web - this is an incomplete list of the robbery of unscrupulous programmers. Now everyone has a rumor about the Russian trace in the matter of holding elections in the United States. Allegedly our experts under the guise of the government interfered in the American election campaign and thus directly helped the election of Donald Trump. No evidence has been submitted so far, but the scandal broke out all over the world.

Images in art

Subculture "hackers" is very specific and does not fit the usual criteria and assessments, it is very difficult to give a complete and comprehensive description of this movement, although attempts at psychological and socio-cultural studies have occurred repeatedly. The influence of the community extends not only to the sphere of high technologies, but also to the cultural environment.

In the novels of famous writers you can find a similar theme, for example, in Vernor Vigi's book "Depth in the Sky" or in the epigraph to the "Labyrinth of Reflections" by Sergei Lukyanenko. But most often the fate of programmers was written by former hackers, such as Chris Kasperski, Julian Assange, Kevin Mitnick and Bruce Schneier. Based on some of the works, films were later filmed, especially the "Network" and "Hackers", released in 1995, "Social Network", "The Fifth Power" and many others. In Hollywood insurgents, to some extent, there is a subject of hacking computer networks, manipulation of ordinary users, etc.

Hackers of the old school are now actively engaged in the restoration of the lost credibility of their community, calling the crackers, pirates, phishers and other burglars the usual criminals. But the "white hats" should and can work on the further creation and improvement of the digital space.