I was talking with some people about hipsters (meaning young, mainstream, urbanites, of a particular brand) and it occurred to me that hipsters could find their way to mechanical keyboards because MKs are:
- Vintage/Retro
- Highly customizable (and colourful)
- Serve a purpose
- Fits in with hipster-nerd culture which they're moved into
They fit the bill perfectly. They could make them all customized and yammer on about being one with the internet (as they do about fixie bikes with no brakes, film cameras they don't know how to use, etc).
I couldn't help but wonder then, will mechanical keyboards catch on with hipsters?
While it makes perfect sense and seems ideal, hipsters seem hesitant to take on things that aren't already trendy. They're expensive, though that doesn't seem to matter as most hipsters are actually fairly well off (a la MacBook).
What would happen if there was suddenly a large demand for customized keyboards? Would the demand increase our options and availability with the market? Or would it just get flooded with low-quality stuff as their standards would be lower.
Would it change the way you feel about this hobby? I know many people who are into more obscure niches (let's face it, most people have no idea you can be a "keyboard enthusiast") prefer that they remain low-key enough that it's genuine enthusiasts involved. It also lets the hobby be rather unique, and if it suddenly becomes super popular, there's no distinguishing the founders from the followers, making it seem less special.
What are your thoughts? I know some people will think this is strange and they just want to enjoy some typing, but I know many of you have spent enough time and money to know what I'm talking about (not to mention those with post counts in the thousands or north of 10k!).
Personally, I'd rather it remain fairly niche.
PS Nothing against hipsters in particular, but I've seen that type of thing take away from other hobbies. For example, one of my 4 bicycles is a training bike with fixed gear (ie fixie). I've had it for ages, but now that it's a hipster icon, that's all people assume when they see it or find out I have one, when really it's used for muscle training. Even less experienced riders who aren't aware of the training benefits assume that if you have a fixie, you aren't a serious rider now.