Where's the Backspace?

(This is a response to an article in the New York Times titled "Click, Clack, Ding! Sigh..." The author was Jessica Bruder. You can find the article here.)


Technology dominates the 21st century. The Internet, iPods, iTouches, iPads, laptops and more are found all over cities and homes. From college campuses to public libraries, people can find high-tech devices with Internet and more. What is the next step to laptops and computers? The typewriter has been resurrected from its grave and has taken on a whole new persona. 

[Google]

A growing movement of consumers, especially young ones, buying typewriters has emerged. The younger generations have converted to using a typewriter for various reasons. 28 year-old typewriter owner Louis Smith said, "It’s about permanence, not being able to hit delete, you have to have some conviction in your thoughts. And that’s my whole philosophy of typewriters.”


Events have been held in honor of typewriters and their owners. "Type-ins" take place in bars and bookstores to display a post-digital style. The group type out letters to send via snail mail and hold competitions to see who can type the fastest. Type-ins have been seen in cities from coast to coast and even overseas. 


Owner of Brady & Kowalski Writing Machines Brandi Kowalski said, "You type so much quicker than you can think on a computer. On a typewriter, you have to think."


Why are people attracted to typewriters for the second time around? Old typewriters are built like battleships. They can suffer damage and get banged up. Repairs can be made to typewriters, but laptops and smartphones loose much of their value after they leave the store. Typewriters are also very simple. They can only perform one task: putting words on paper. Checking e-mail and browsing Facebook are not options on a typewriter. It makes the task of writing a paper easier to do, and one can focus more on the project. The older generations understand why younger people are so attracted to typewriters. 


The Pulitzer-winning biographer of Robert Moses Robert A. Caro said, “I’m actually not surprised. One reason I type is it simply makes me feel closer to my words. It’s like being a cabinetmaker. It’s like laying down the planks. This is the way it’s supposed to feel.”


The article peaked my curiosity concerning typewriters. I had never thought about the idea of owning one. By using quotes from a spectrum of people in the typewriter world, the article becomes more credible. After reading the thoughts of the typewriter users, I am anxious to try one out. As an aspiring journalist, I understand the idea of wanting to feel close to my words. There is no delete button a typewriter. It makes typing more focused, and the writer becomes more connected with the story being told. 


Whether or not people go out and buy typewriters is up to them, but I certainly would enjoy owning one. I love the idea of old becoming new. Our generation should step up and embrace our history.