Home > Research > Publications & Outputs > Hackers against technology

Research

Electronic data

  • maxigas_hackers-against-technology_sss.pdf

    Rights statement: The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Social Studies of Science, 47 (6), 2017, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2017 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Social Studies of Science page: http://journals.sagepub.com/home/SSS on SAGE Journals Online: http://journals.sagepub.com/

    Accepted author manuscript, 155 KB, PDF document

    Available under license: CC BY: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Links

Text available via DOI:

Keywords

View graph of relations

Hackers against technology: Critique and recuperation in technological cycles

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Published

Standard

Hackers against technology: Critique and recuperation in technological cycles. / Maxigas.
In: Social Studies of Science, Vol. 47, No. 6, 01.12.2017, p. 841-860.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review

Harvard

Maxigas 2017, 'Hackers against technology: Critique and recuperation in technological cycles', Social Studies of Science, vol. 47, no. 6, pp. 841-860. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306312717736387

APA

Maxigas (2017). Hackers against technology: Critique and recuperation in technological cycles. Social Studies of Science, 47(6), 841-860. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306312717736387

Vancouver

Maxigas. Hackers against technology: Critique and recuperation in technological cycles. Social Studies of Science. 2017 Dec 1;47(6):841-860. Epub 2017 Oct 30. doi: 10.1177/0306312717736387

Author

Maxigas. / Hackers against technology : Critique and recuperation in technological cycles. In: Social Studies of Science. 2017 ; Vol. 47, No. 6. pp. 841-860.

Bibtex

@article{c14d9e5b1fc54650a475ab0917a70d50,
title = "Hackers against technology: Critique and recuperation in technological cycles",
abstract = "I offer an interpretation of hackers{\textquoteright} technological choices through a theoretical framework of critique and recuperation in technological cycles, building on prior research that brings the pragmatic sociology of Boltanski and Chiapello to bear on matters in Science and Technology Studies. I argue that contextualizing technology choices in the development of capitalism through innovation illuminates their political significance. I start with the counterintuitive observation that some browser extensions popular with hackers, like RequestPolicy, make it considerably harder for them to look at websites. This observation showcases the Luddite aspects of hackerdom, in that they are willing to {\textquoteleft}break{\textquoteright} popular websites that would otherwise cheat on the user. In line with an undercurrent of hacker studies, in this case study I find hackers fighting technological progress they see as social decline.",
keywords = "expertise, hackers, history of technology, recuperation, technology choices, users",
author = "Maxigas",
year = "2017",
month = dec,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1177/0306312717736387",
language = "English",
volume = "47",
pages = "841--860",
journal = "Social Studies of Science",
issn = "0306-3127",
publisher = "SAGE Publications Ltd",
number = "6",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Hackers against technology

T2 - Critique and recuperation in technological cycles

AU - Maxigas, null

PY - 2017/12/1

Y1 - 2017/12/1

N2 - I offer an interpretation of hackers’ technological choices through a theoretical framework of critique and recuperation in technological cycles, building on prior research that brings the pragmatic sociology of Boltanski and Chiapello to bear on matters in Science and Technology Studies. I argue that contextualizing technology choices in the development of capitalism through innovation illuminates their political significance. I start with the counterintuitive observation that some browser extensions popular with hackers, like RequestPolicy, make it considerably harder for them to look at websites. This observation showcases the Luddite aspects of hackerdom, in that they are willing to ‘break’ popular websites that would otherwise cheat on the user. In line with an undercurrent of hacker studies, in this case study I find hackers fighting technological progress they see as social decline.

AB - I offer an interpretation of hackers’ technological choices through a theoretical framework of critique and recuperation in technological cycles, building on prior research that brings the pragmatic sociology of Boltanski and Chiapello to bear on matters in Science and Technology Studies. I argue that contextualizing technology choices in the development of capitalism through innovation illuminates their political significance. I start with the counterintuitive observation that some browser extensions popular with hackers, like RequestPolicy, make it considerably harder for them to look at websites. This observation showcases the Luddite aspects of hackerdom, in that they are willing to ‘break’ popular websites that would otherwise cheat on the user. In line with an undercurrent of hacker studies, in this case study I find hackers fighting technological progress they see as social decline.

KW - expertise

KW - hackers

KW - history of technology

KW - recuperation

KW - technology choices

KW - users

U2 - 10.1177/0306312717736387

DO - 10.1177/0306312717736387

M3 - Journal article

VL - 47

SP - 841

EP - 860

JO - Social Studies of Science

JF - Social Studies of Science

SN - 0306-3127

IS - 6

ER -