E-Book Overview
Geeks, hackers and gamers share a common ‘geek culture’, whose members are defined and define themselves mainly in terms of technology and rationality. The members of geek culture produce and circulate stories to express who they are and to explain and justify what they do. Geek storytelling draws on plots and themes from the wider social and cultural context in which geeks live. The author surveys many stories of heated exchanges and techno-tribal conflicts that date back to the earliest days of personal computing, which construct the “self” and the “enemy”, and express and debate a range of political positions. Geek and Hacker Stories will be of interest to students of digital social science and media studies. Both geeky and non-technical readers will find something of value in this account.
E-Book Content
Geek and Hacker Stories Code, Culture and Storytelling from the Technosphere
Brian Alleyne
Geek and Hacker Stories
Brian Alleyne
Geek and Hacker Stories Code, Culture and Storytelling from the Technosphere
Brian Alleyne Department of Sociology Goldsmiths, University of London London, UK
ISBN 978-1-349-95818-4 ISBN 978-1-349-95819-1 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95819-1 Library of Congress Control Number: 2018954945 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2019 The author(s) has/have asserted their right(s) to be identified as the author(s) of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover illustration: © Melisa Hasan This Palgrave Pivot imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Limited The registered company address is: The Campus, 4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW, United Kingdom
To the memory of my father, Ellis Wilfred Alleyne (1935–1978), who taught me how to use a soldering iron.
Preface
I aim to provide my reader with a measured and informed perspective on geek culture: a field that has been romanticised and sensationalised both in the press and popular culture. I do not aim to reveal ‘the truth’ about geek culture, or to define it in exact terms, or to present findings that will change the way we think about geek culture. From a potentially vast area of interest, I selected one corner for investigation. I offer here an account based on textual investigation and my personal experience, building on periods of both intentional research and enthusiastic engagement against a wider background of my involvement with personal computers since 1982. I have been a computer geek since the 1980s, and t