One of the things I love about linotype text justification is that it’s actually really a solution to a mechanical problem - the machine needs to make a complete line of text every time without leaving gaps at the end of the mold, and squeeze all the character blanks together tightly to prevent lead from squirting out - so driving wedges in between words to squeeze them together is a neat solution to that problem. That it has the side effect of creating that characteristic newspaper column justified aesthetic is a consequence of an engineering decision, not so much a deliberate design choice.
It’s not conclusive, but there is definitely something to this and the linotype’s mechanical justification that I think overall emphasizes how much what we think of as aesthetic judgements about what makes for good typography are actually just things we’ve grown used to from the technical limitations and operational choices made by people using particular technologies in the past.
Interesting article on this tech and its possible connection to our ongoing confusion about how many spaces go after a period: http://widespacer.blogspot.com/2014/01/two-spaces-old-typist...
It’s not conclusive, but there is definitely something to this and the linotype’s mechanical justification that I think overall emphasizes how much what we think of as aesthetic judgements about what makes for good typography are actually just things we’ve grown used to from the technical limitations and operational choices made by people using particular technologies in the past.