I think that having the latest technology can be a want or need depending on the person. For some, having the latest technology is necessary for keeping up with modern times. For example, it's pretty important for people to have cell phones now that pay phones aren't around anymore. Plus, advancements in cell phone technology allow us to use our phones for so many more things besides calling or texting, like for watching TV or using it as your own personal trainer.
However, having the latest technology can be a want as well. Consumers always want to own the “next big thing” as soon as it comes out, which can be a major reason why companies advertise and promote their products so much. It's like one big competition to see who can come up with a newer, more efficient product than those that have been previously released.
I don't buy new technology or gadgets unless what I have is unusable. The last time I got a new phone (iPhone 4 to 5c) was because I had dropped it so many times it wouldn't charge anymore. I don't think I needed to buy a new cell phone model, but since my  data plan offered it I took it. I wouldn't say that I'm addicted to purchasing the “latest and greatest” models of things because I don't see the importance of buying something new unless what I have is broken.
Lastly, I do consider the impact of all these purchases and it really makes me sad whenever I think about how most of the outdated things end up (in the garbage). Once it's out of trend, no one buys it anymore so it's thrown out. According to the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), only 18% of 2.25 million tons of TVs, cell phones, and computer products that could be recycled were recycled; leaving the other 82% in landfills. On a more positive note, it is nice to see big companies, like AT&T and Verizon, have programs for recycling unwanted phones/other products.

I agree with your statement that technology can be both a "want" and a "need". While many people's motivation to buy new gadgets lies in their desire to have the latest and greatest things, there can be other reasons that people may need technology. Since our society is so technology driven nowadays, it would be difficult to do without certain gadgets, for example, a computer. Personally, I can't imagine being able to function properly at school without a computer, especially since our school requires us to have laptops with us everyday. One specific area in which technology might be more of a "need" is education. According to Edutopia, an education magazine, "The myriad resources of the online world also provide each classroom with more interesting, diverse, and current learning materials. The Web connects students to experts in the real world and provides numerous opportunities for expressing understanding through images, sound, and text." Education can be greatly improved by technology and that is one aspect of technology that may be considered a "need". I think the m ost important thing to remember is that in our current society it would be extremely difficult to succeed without any technology at all but we don't always need the newest, nicest technological items.

I don't think we need it but it seems like people do. I mean technology can be good and bad

I agree with both Georgia and Allison, as technology is necessary this day in age in order to efficiently work, especially in education and schools. My laptop has become so handy at school, as I use it all the time to complete my assignments and research online for needed information. To me, as long as the technology is functional and in fairly good condition, it should be in continued use until it can no longer work. However, once these electronics cannot function anymore, I feel we need to spread the idea that they CAN be recycled. My family has gone to e-Waste areas to drop off our old TVs, cellphones, desktops, and other unused electronics, but they only come occasionally and are not advertised very much. As only 18% of 2.25 million products that can be recycled are recycled, this tells me that either people are unaware that they can be recycled, or they do not have a place to drop them off. If we had more available e-Waste or places similar that are convenient and easily known, then maybe more old technology products would be recycled. Additionally, I feel we focus  on the recycling of paper, bottles, and cans and forget to educate the public about the recycling of other goods like electronics. It is nice to know that companies like Verizon and AT&T are aware of this issue, since maybe they could help to advertise the recycling of used technology.

Well, lets be honest in this age of never ending globalisation and (as of 2011) more than a 1.18 zettabytes of information in the world, is technology being a "want" is less likely than technology being a "need." Of course I agree with you when you talk about our consumer culture which has grown shockingly over the past decade,but the technology part of the our consumer identity stems from our necessity for more. The necessity is not about the material want as you clearly and stated before but the necessity for more, is a necessity of information. Now one could argue "Well why do we need to waste time and energy on such technological ventures? Is getting knowledge through am machine really more important than the protection of the earth?" I choose to counter the claim by stating that over 200,000,000 megabytes of information has been consumed by humans daily since the start of the internet boom up till now and the numbers is expanding greatly every minute, and a lot of the information being spread is helping the general consensus especially those of us who wish to learn  on what we can do to help our earth, and make greener future for the next generations. A fantastic example of this would be this carbon foot print calculator helping us understand how much carbon we emit in the past year alone. Thought we may spend to much on gadgets, we mostly spend on gadgets that help us acquire more knowledge, and if new technology is being developed to get information faster in a efficient way then it is justifiable to spend some energy and money on it. I'm not being a blind mouse about the landfills of course, I know they are a shameful tragedy, but I choose to look at the future. Who knows? Maybe right now there is new technology being developed to help fix that. All we can do wait and see if our necessity of technology is justifiable in the long run.