ABSTRACT
It seems that with the advent of the computer came the computer hacker — in fact it might even be suggested that the personal computer would never have existed without the computer hacker. As discussed in the next section, Stephen Jobs and Stephen Wozniak established one of the first personal computer companies — a company which began with the manufacture and marketing of ‘blue boxes’ (a gadget which could be attached to the telephone, which emitted the same tone signal as the telephone and therefore enabled the user to make free telephone calls. This activity was/is known as ‘phreaking’, and is possibly one of the earliest forms of ‘hacking’. This activity and the possession of a ‘blue box’ was and is obviously illegal. However, the term ‘hacker’ has not always had criminal connotations. This paper will be looking at the how the term ‘hacker’ has changed in definition — changes that have occurred with the subsequent generation of computer and computer user. Although the changes in definition have culminated in a negative and criminal image, e.g. ‘hackers’ being compared to burglars and even murderers, many other images have also been used throughout literature and reporting on this subject — not all of which are necessarily negative. This paper will consider some of the more popular/prevalent images of ‘hackers’ as portrayed in film, literature, (cyberpunk) fiction and coverage of actual cases as reported in national daily newspapers.
