We're All Hackers Now: Doing Global Democracy

Abstract

A return to the Athenian model of democracy suggests that the techno-rhetorical skills and pro-active ethical attributes necessary for the work of the global citizen are inherent in the "hacker"ethos. Hacking was always more than the neo-criminal interference with computer systems suggested in the mainstream media. This paper argues that hacking extends to cover any militant and creative intervention into any aspect of the media flow. Thus arises the possibility of the citizen-hacker using the emerging social networking technologies and techniques on which the global information economy rests to create new forums for open deliberation and new forms of political and social organization.