Many people today own a smartphone that can do more than call/text it also connects to the internet and social media. The argument can be made both ways about whether it is just a want or really a need. Sometimes it really can be a need in this day and age because it has become a very important way of communication and connection to both your personal relationships and the community. Without the technology, it would be really difficult to find information and even find out about our harmful impact on the environment. But, if we're talking about it being a matter of life and death it really isn't necessary. In this era of technology we can see how much it's benefiting people, but it is also bringing up more problems, and negatively impacting the environment. As the demands grow higher for phones, we are increasingly impacting the environment without knowing it. It is made in factories that release harmful emissions into the atmosphere, then you are taking it home and constantly charging it without thinking how much your adding to your carbon footprint.

I partially agree with you. However, there can be some life or death situations. Situations like if you were trapped in a house that was on fire and you had your phone, you could call for help and you could be saved. But I agree that technology is a need.

I kind of agree with you, like @bighead_ajay said, you  can need it in a life or death situation. Also you can just set your limits on when you use it and when not to.

I mostly agree with all of you, that technology today can definitely help and possibly save a life. However, without technology I think our civilizations would be doing well regardless. With all the amazing things technology has brought us, it's very easy to forget about the troubles it has brought with it, such as cyber bullying and more waste. Overall, in our day and age it is a need to have technology in school or for work and it would be nearly impossible to go through life without it in a highly developed area.  However, having the latest iphone or newest MacBook pro is definitely not a need. Digital Responsibility (http://www.digitalresponsibility.org/sa … echnotrash) tells us that 5% of our solid waste is from technology, about 20-50 million tons per year. Many of this is caused by the ideology that we must have the absolute latest version of every item that exists, which is created to boost large companies incomes. In a society where social media quickly makes an image of what the ideal person should have, this spreads creating a crop of people throwing  out a perfectly good device for one they don't need. In this aspect, I believe that in this day and age to be successful a certain amount technology is needed, but having excess amounts of it and always getting new best thing are absolutely only wants.