Is having the latest technology a want or a need?
How often do you get a new cel phone or mp3 player? Did you really need a new model? Do you consider the environmental impact of these purchases? If you are addicted, how can you break your addiction?
Wants or Needs? >
Do I really need that a new phone?
Getting a new version of a phone or laptop seems like a need for most people but honestly you don't really NEED a laptop or phone. Life is easier with them but no one needs them. Just think about all that CO2 going into the atmosphere at all those factories and all the waste and trash that appears when people throw out their "bad" or "old" technology. I'm just saying that technology is really messing up our world, whether it be with the environment or our own bodies and brains.
I think that there has to be a happy medium. Technology does a lot of bad things for the environment but also a lot of good for the environment and in other areas. For example, it's because of technology that we drive too much but it is also because of technology that we drive cleaner burning cars than we used to or can drive electric cars. I agree that laptops and phones are not needs technically, as in we don't need them to stay alive, but we do need them to get a lot of jobs, do well in school, etc. I think the compromise is that we don't always need the newest version. Maybe we should wait to replace them until they are actually unusable.
I agree with Anika. While there are many problems being caused as a result of the over-technology use, and yes, some do have to with the earth's changing climate, there are also many positive aspects. Because so many schools provide students with technology or require it, many of the worksheets that were previously printed out can be digitalized. This cuts back on the consumption of paper and ink. CO2 is released during paper production, then again when the paper is shipped, and driven home, and when the printer loads it in and spits it back out with words. In terms of mental health, technology is a monster, but for our planet, it sometimes can be a saving grace. Let's not forget that solar panels are technology as well and that those have cut down electricity use by a lot. To answer the original question asked, no, nobody needs the newest version from Apple's iPhone to live, but we do need clean air, and maybe the newest version might help with that.