A Hacker Manifesto by Wark is an interesting yet difficult read. Before reading the text, I had always thought that hackers were individuals who dwell among the inter-web and cyber space. Then these individuals would invade other computers either owned by people or companies and hinder its operations or send a virus to destroy and infect the system. This definition describes the common hacker or at least what people perceive as a hacker. Many events have happened in the past where hackers were given the lime light in news broadcasting media such as the infamous hacker group called Anonymous. This group has hacked into major corporations and distributed sensitive information. What Wark writes about is more of the other side of the hacker. He does into the hacking itself whereas we often associate hacking with the individual.
In number 14, of A Hacker Manifesto, Wark writes how information is owned and controlled by others and refers to the others as capitalists and farmers. Information is circulated via the working class almost as a commodity. The working class circulated information that is available to all but when information is secluded, Wark describes workers being dispossessed and having to ” buy back their own culture from its owners”. My interpretation of this is that information is like a commodity, it is sold, distributed and manipulated. Considering our techno-savvy world that we live in today, the information that is given to us or at times fed to us are often manipulated and only certain parts of information is revealed whereas other parts are cropped out and thrown away. As for having to buy back their own culture from the owners, the time of information that we receive is entirely based on the company or corporation that we tune in to. One company can report for the sake of public appeal or shock and others will broadcast the true or partial truth.
