NCJ Number
199533
Date Published
2003
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This chapter explores the issue of gender in relation to the construction of the computer hacker persona and the wider culture of computer programming.
Abstract
The chapter begins with an overview of hacking and programming's dominance by men and introduces some basic explanations for this gender gap. The author then explores the psycho-sexual dimensions to the activity, considering why the act conveys a feeling of power that particularly appeals to young men. The author further explores how such feelings of power are projected into rhetorical constructions such as the comparison of cyberspace with the frontier land of the Wild West. This "pioneer" mentality is examined with reference to the political culture of "technolibertarians" or "cypherphunks," which are then contrasted with the rise of a new form of technologically spawned political activism. The chapter concludes by arguing that although the early core values of hacking and its role as a site of "cultural resistance and stocks of oppositional knowledge" were undermined by the excesses of computer underground and "technolibertarian" groups, "hacktivism" is crucial in rejuvenating the hacking ethos. The term "hacktivism" refers to the transformation of traditional hacking techniques and knowledge into a new form of political activism. It is a phenomenon that returns hacking to its roots in the manipulation of technological systems rather than any particular artefact. It seeks to use either automated hacker-type programs and/or mass coordinated web activity to disrupt targeted sites in order to make an explicit political point. As more and more women become involved in hacktivism, there is likely to be more of a cooperative endeavor to mount disruptive protests perceived to serve beneficial causes. 12 notes