Hackers and Hacking

When i think about hacking or try to define it somehow it always brings a picture up in my head of a nerdy guy....or girl..but for some reason a guy, huddled over a computer for hours on end, trying to decipher and translate a bunch of random codes...this probably is a typical situation but a better definition would be to use one's skill in computer programming to gain illegal or unauthorized access to a file or network. I could never be a hacker for reasons such as I dont have the brains, intelligence or the patience!
Since the internet has become an importance in peoples everyday lives, issues such as hacktivism, the hacker and hats are all connected with hacking. in the 1950s and 60s hacking began but by the mid 1980s, it had become an awareness to people and the media. Hacktivism is writing of code, or otherwise manipulating it, to promote political ideology- promoting expressive politics, free speech,human rights, or information ethics. This is a kind of "new style"hacking, which i find is ok, unless they promote dangerous ideas which i feel they should be punished for.
I feel i have to give credit to the people who can actually go on to a computer and decipher these codes, when im still having trouble how to set up a blog....!!!haha however it does make me question..Are we really safe on the internet..? I mean i do things like internet banking, putting credit card and my own personal details online which makes me wonder, could i be the next person they target next..haha sounds very dramatic, i no, but protective passwords and all that may not be enough to go against hackers.