A 'typewriter rebellion' is underway. Here's what that means and why it's attracting kids

You might call it the sound of a rebellion. Young people in the valley are buying old typewriters and using them as a creative escape from the distractions of computers and the internet. As 12 news journalist, Joe Dana shows us tonight. It's what good old fashioned typewriters do not do. It's attracting this younger generation when Max Johnson brought his grandfather's 1964 Smith Corona to school. Last year, I inherited it. Rummaging through a closet of his old things. It was a novelty. Other people are like whoa, a typewriter. Max was tapping into something else. A generation interested in a machine because of what it does not have no power cord, no internet connection, no temptation to jump online. No A I prompts. So with computers there's distractions everywhere. And if you have a DH D like me, you could get nothing done with a typewriter. It's just you and the keys. I have customers from probably eight years old on up. The Mesa typewriter exchange has been here since 1947. Right now. I probably have 20 plus machines waiting to be repaired. Unlike Bill Wall's grandfather who started the company, Bill's business is driven by collectors. I would say half my customer base is probably under 30. A lot of them big vocabulary. They seem to have high IQ a lot of them are homeschooled. They're very creative. This recent type in event at the Chandler Library organized by 21 year old Jeremiah Buckovski. I like the analog stuff. It's a lot more real than a computer. And I like how it's part of history. I like how they sound. I like how they feel. I like how they smell it. Collectors bring in their favorites. There's a mystique to the typewriter. Young people love typewriters. You know, sometimes you can't even pry bar em off these machines. Kids try them out for the first time. I love. What's it like to write something that's permanent? You can't go back and change it. I think it would make me a bit nervous, hoping to make no errors. But permanence can be a positive. I'm the typewriter. Kid Max takes his typewriter to school every day using it for special projects during free time. Recently typed up one of a kind letters to a local legislator and his girlfriend with a typewriter. What you said is what you said and nothing can change that. As for the cost of a refurbished manual typewriter, it's a wide range. They can go anywhere from under $100 up to 1000. Joe Dana. 12 News

Channel: 12 News

Views: 418,462

Keywords: [ tech, arizona ], education, local, news, valley

Id: PdYPZr1Flog

Length: 2min 38sec (158 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 16 2024