Having the latest technology is definitely a want, but not a need. I think that right now technology is pretty crucial especially for school and work, depending on the job, but getting the latest technology is not. This is because in my personal experience, I have found that there is not much of a difference between having an iphone 5 verses an iphone 7 besides the fact that you get to say that you own a cool piece of technology. I get a new cell phone around every two years. I would say that life is easier with the newer model because of how technology companies work, making it harder to use out dated models without crashes or restrictions on what the cell phone is able to do. I do not consider the environmental impact of purchasing technology, even though I do when it comes to shopping for clothes or goods from specific companies I know harm the environment, the environmental impact of buying technology never really crosses my mind. I do not think that I am addicted, per say, but I do think that I could use a break from technology every once in a while.

Holly, I completely agree that some technology is a want. When we think about needs we think about what is necessary for human life. In this case, things like water, food, shelter come to mind. Data for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows that 20 people every day waiting for an organ transplant. Some recent research has been done using 3D printers to create organs for humans and this technology could save millions of lives if successful. While I do agree some technology is definitely a need, in a way we could say that some technology is also a need because it is keeping people alive just like food and water do.

Other types of technology I agree are definitely wants. The first time I was really educated about the environmental effects of the huge amount of technology we waste was in my APES class. We watched a documentary about how so much of our E-Waste is shipped off to other countries to deal with. Watching this video was extremely upsetting because while we were benefiting from the high levels of technology, once we were done with it we shipped it off for others to deal with. Watching this video made me really wonder what is the best way to deal with all of this E waste.