As the 1950s progressed, the word "hack" acquired a
sharper, more rebellious edge. The MIT of the 1950s was
overly competitive, and hacking emerged as both a
reaction to and extension of that competitive culture.
Goofs and pranks suddenly became a way to blow off
steam, thumb one's nose at campus administration, and
indulge creative thinking and behavior stifled by the
Institute's rigorous undergraduate curriculum. With its
myriad hallways and underground steam tunnels, the
Institute offered plenty of exploration opportunities
for the student undaunted by locked doors and "No
Trespassing" signs. Students began to refer to their
off-limits explorations as "tunnel hacking." Above
ground, the campus phone system offered similar
opportunities. Through casual experimentation and due
diligence, students learned how to perform humorous
tricks. Drawing inspiration from the more traditional
pursuit of tunnel hacking, students quickly dubbed this
new activity "phone hacking."
The combined emphasis on creative play and
restriction-free exploration would serve as the basis
for the future mutations of the hacking term.
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