General Interest > GRAFFITI: The Art of Influence?
Graffiti is known as an illegal form of art. Its popularity and participation are prevalent in countries throughout the globe. It has been a huge influence for other forms of art, design, music and lifestyle. One culture that has been touched by the world of graffiti, has been the computer world inhabited by hackers.Hackers are known as computer programmers or operators who are extremely knowledgeable in computer technology. Hackers are often known for their nefarious activities.
But how have hackers been influenced by graffiti and its culture?
When one anatomizes graffiti, it’s obviously a visual art form used for expression. It communicates messages, whether they are sentimental, political, personal or educational.
Hackers have used website defacement for their visual form of expression. Web defacement is a form of hacking where a hacker alters the text or images on a webpage. In some instances, entire web pages are replaced. The Internet has become a digital canvas for hackers, where the hacker attempts to “get up” in cyberspace. Web defacement became popular in the early nineteen-nineties along with the advent of the Internet.
In the world of graffiti a piece of work strategically placed on a landmark or easily observed location is a good way to increase your popularity as a writer. A hacker thinks the same, by targeting popular websites for defacement. One of the most popular defacements was performed by hackers P4NTZ and H4Gis in 1997 when they hacked Yahoo.
Other times, hackers and graffiti writers have a political message that they want to convey. Many hackers have defaced the websites of the United States government
and the site belonging to Al-Queda. In these instances, the hackers leave a political message usually intended to insult the government entity. In similar fashion, writers
have had used graffiti to communicate messages to a local government agencies.
An example of this is the famous message written by SANE182 saying “IT’S NOTHING NEW, KOCH IS THRU, SANE 182“. This message, which was written on a billboard, is aimed at the former mayor of New York City, Ed Koch.
The form used in web defacement was derived from Graffiti writers. When you look at a piece completed by a graffiti writer, the work often includes the names of the writer and any affiliations that they may have. Hackers who deface web sites often include a message which includes their name and crews they represent.
In both the hacker and graffiti cultures, there is a status that its participants hope to achieve. Graffiti artist seek the status of KING or simply elevating from the newbie status
of a new writer, known as a “TOY”. Hackers seek the status of an ELEET (pronounced Elite).
The title of ELEET comes from the hacker language, known as LEET. It became popular with IRC (Internet Relay Chat) and instant messaging. It is often only understood by those within the hacking culture. Graffiti letter form and language is very much the same. Although it is seen by many, not all can interpret the style and lettering. Most
often, only Graffiti writers can decipher extreme styles and form.
Both cultures have illegal backgrounds and origins. As a result, the participants involved choose to use aliases that will protect their identities.
The next time you hear that a website has been defaced, take a look at the structure of the defacement. It will be clear that the art of Graffiti has played a part in
Hacker culture, proving that it is the art of influence.
