Is having the latest technology a want or a need?

How often do you get a new cell 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? It is important to ask yourself these questions before investing in new technology. So often our society obsesses over having newer and better technology, forgetting the true affect it can have on the earth. The United States alone has generated approximately 6.2 million tons of e-waste every year and has only recycled around 15% of that waste. Additionally, e-waste is one of the most difficult types of waste to recycle and reuse. While technology is essential for everyday life the most advanced technology is not, it is completely possible to live a productive life with a slightly less new model of technology. Furthermore, limiting your purchases of new technology can help reduce wasting money and creating waste, so limiting your purchases is beneficial to the environment and you. The world today is in the age of information where millions of gigabytes of data are uploaded everyday. Being updated and aware of what is going on in the world constantly has become what everyone is accustomed to. So unfortunately, breaking that cycle of addiction is a very difficult thing to do. Personally, I feel like something is missing or feel a bit anxious when I don't know what is going on without my phone because of how much useful information it can provide at a single tap of my finger. With advancements of technology sending information at faster speeds with every new update and every new model, more and more people abandon their perfectly useful and functional phones for new ones with better quality. This phenomenon causes perfectly good and useful materials such as 35,274 pounds of copper, 772 pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold, and 33 pounds of palladium to be wasted. We chose not to recover these materials when it was completely in our capacity to. Some of these materials are used in surgical instruments and could have been recycled and reused for better purposes. In conclusion, while technology is a needed essential in this age of information the world has turned to, having the newest and greatest models that can provide this information is not an essential and actually does more harm to the Earth than necessary when you could just use your perfectly good, older model.

Sources: https://earth911.com/eco-tech/20-e-waste-facts/#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20generated%206.92,That's%20right.