Not so long ago, cybersecurity education was this incredibly hard-to-learn subject that belonged to a handful of university courses, textbooks, and the ‘trenches’ of tech forums.
Today, cybersecurity education is usually taught in the form of 30-second TikTok videos. While this might seem unusual, it’s very real. There’s now a surge of hacker bloggers—content creators sharing cybersecurity tips, ethical hacking techniques, advice on digital safety, and even tutorials on using a handy probability calculator to understand risks online.
It’s one of the most recent trends on TikTok, and it’s incredibly useful to everyone, from young people to older audiences who want to learn how to stay safe while online.
How the Narrative About Hacking Changed
The word hacker – what does it mean to you? If you think about those old-school ‘hacker’ shady chat rooms, criminal breaches, and complex code that was only understood by ‘real hackers’, you’re not alone. And it’s not our fault – that’s how Hollywood movies and TV shows used to present hackers.
The word ‘hacking’ still carried a mostly negative image through the 2010s, with many people seeing it as something bad. But now things are different. We now have a generation of young adults who were raised on YouTube and TikTok, so hacking is not seen as negative. Actually, hacking is now often considered a good skill to have. Gen Zs now recognize hackers as ‘good people’ who actually help other people, and not the other way around.
So, what was the turning point?
While IT education in schools did help, it was actually independent content creators who brought ‘hacking’ to the masses.
Subjects like IT in school did help, but so did TikTokers and YouTubers who made hacking fun. Some of the first creators who began explaining how cybersecurity works were Alissa Knight and The Cyber Mentor. These are two of the most popular channels that use the concept of storytelling to explain to their viewers how hacking works.
They often use interesting visuals and real-world examples in their videos to show how it all works. They often focus on the fact that it’s all about building defense skills and how not to be vulnerable. They also explained the concept of phishing attacks and how to protect yourself from one.
TikTok ‘Hackers’ And Hacking Videos
Hacking videos on TikTok continue to grow in popularity. Hundreds of cybersecurity educators now offer simple, practical advice on digital security. These creators demonstrate how hacking happens, explain why cybersecurity matters, and show viewers how to stay safe during everyday online activities, including gaming on platforms like Roulette77 India.
On Roulette77 and other online gaming platforms, understanding risk is crucial. That’s where tools like a handy probability calculator become valuable. Hacker bloggers sometimes highlight these tools to show viewers how probability affects online games and why understanding these risks can also keep their digital accounts safer.
The short-form video format of TikTok means that creators have to be creative when explaining hacking, and some of the most famous hacker TikTokers are @cybersechris and @josephsteinberg. Some of their hacking videos are about ‘how easy it is to fall for a fake Wi-Fi hotspot at a coffee shop’, or ‘how easy it is to fall victim to a phishing attack’. They speak openly about these issues, and they demonstrate how hacking works (on test systems, of course).
Another popular concept is the ‘red vs blue team’ battle. It’s a hack-off competition where the two teams compete against each other and show hacking attack and defense tactics. Although it’s a ‘competition’, people still learn some of the tactics used by both teams, and how to protect themselves.
And yet another popular type of video is the ‘storytime’, where TikTokers speak about real-world hacking attacks. But the idea is not to scare audiences, but to teach them about the potential scams and how to stay protected in a fun and casual way.
The ‘Hacker Blogger’ Phenomenon
A ‘hacker blogger’ is someone who hacks for a living. Well, sort of. They’re hackers (in reality, they’re mostly people who work in cybersecurity) who share videos about hacking and how to stay safe while on the internet.
Yes, hacker blogger is now a real profession, and these people are actually making a living out of it, selling e-books and courses on cyber protection.
And that’s the idea of hacking nowadays. The old movie version of a hacker with a hoodie, dark room, and a screen with green code on a black background (shoutout to the 1996 ‘Hackers’ movie starring Callan McAuliffe, Lorraine Nicholson, and none other than Angelina Jolie), we got the full picture of a hacker.
Today’s hackers wear a Patagonia t-shirt and sit in front of a ring light, talking to their phone camera and explaining how your Instagram could get hacked if you click the wrong link. But what’s most important is that they help parents, children, small businesses, and everyone else stay safe on the Internet – so they deserve all our praise.
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