Hacker Conversations: McKenzie Wark, Author of A Hacker Manifesto

According to SecurityWeek, Hacker Conversations: McKenzie Wark, Author of A Hacker Manifesto presents McKenzie Wark as a professor of Media and Cultural Studies at The New School in New York City, known for her book A Hacker Manifesto and for reframing hacking as a cultural force rooted in play, creativity and human nature.

The interview explores hacking beyond computers, arguing that hacking is a broader human activity tied to play, with Huizinga’s Homo Ludens and Bernard Suits’ The Grasshopper shaping the discussion of motivations such as curiosity and the four kinds of subjectivity in relation to games. It notes that Wark views morality as a function of game rules rather than ethics, and that computer hacking can be understood as an extension of play within established rule sets.

The piece also discusses neurodiversity, suggesting that working with computers offers a safe space for neurodivergents, while emphasising that there is no causal link between neurology and hacking. The article, written by Kevin Townsend, appeared on 3 September 2025.