The Typewriter: Relevant and Impactful

As an important predecessor to the modern-day keyboard, the typewriter laid the foundation for the development of modern communication that does not utilize any verbal components. There is a bit of slight controversy over the origins of the typewriter due to a patent in 1714, the first commercially viable typewriter was accessible to the public as early as 1874. This typewriter is most similar to the initial image that uses the standard keyboard layout.

The set-up of the original typewriter streamlined the writing process, allowing for quicker production times. The “QWERTY” organization of keys on a keyboard is a prime example of the typewriter’s relevance to this day. Although the typewriter is far too inefficient to function above the modern standard of speed and accuracy, it can be said to be a huge leap forward as an innovation applicable to media, literature, communication as a whole, and a variety of other disciplines.

Aside from the apparent milestone in the evolution of communication technology, the typewriter gave rise to opportunities for females in the workplace. It comes as no surprise that women were not accommodated in most industries during that era, but the lighter workload of typing could have been a relatively appealing position as opposed to factory laborers’. Overall, I would say that this technology was one that affected society as a whole, in multiple facets nonexclusive to its intended field, a true innovation.

Source:

https://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/

https://onlinetyping.org/blog/invention-of-the-typewriter.php