The Hacker Ethic and the Effective Use of ICTs in Alternative Economic Cultures

Abstract

The capitalist agency of mainstream ICTs is inherently at odds with alternative economic cultures. This idea suggests that it is not lack of access or the type of use that limits the opportunities posed by technology; the problem is technology itself–that is, the capitalist values that underscore their design, use and development. Following extensive theoretical and empirical evidences, this thesis studies the Hacker Ethic as an alternative culture and value-system underpinning a series of ICTs –and people– that could serve as a basis for an effective use of technologies within alternative economic cultures. To that end, the case of Ik’ ta K’op –a Maya-Tzeltal collective that offers telecommunication services– was analysed, for they explicitly and implicitly resort to this Hacker Ethic as a way to ensure the access and the use of ICTs within their community of Abasolo, in Ocosingo, Chiapas. The results of this investigation suggest that there is a necessity for an alternative technological ecosystem that recognizes, reflects and fosters our cultural diversity as a basic foundation for an effective use of ICTs. More specifically, the ethical standpoint of the Hacker Ethic and the technical processes it promotes have been instrumental to Ik’ ta K’op in five ways: 1. it has facilitated access to ICTs; 2. it has facilitated self-determination and governance; 3. it has fostered openness; 4. it allows for cooperative values to be replicated in the use of ICTs, and; 5. it has strengthened creativity and problem-solving skills.