so, like, i'm a phreak. that means i'm really into phones. i used to call myself a hacker, be friends with hackers, and work with hackers. but then i stopped seeking out other hackers and also even stopped calling myself a hacker. that was a good decision — the hacker culture, at least in my part of the world, is very alcohol-heavy and doesn't seem to be about doing interesting things. and the people who actually accomplish interesting projects seem to acquiesce to the computer-people-drinking-crew “hackers” instead of making their own interesting little culture.
however, phreaks really haven't been a thing in the public eye since, well, the early 1990s. that was years and years ago, and since then most people have forgotten the (frankly, puerile) subculture that phreaks owned. so by identifying as a phreak, i'm basically squatting an identity. i feel like i'm able to carve out a space that fits myself.