Are Media-Related Products Needs or Wants?

Wants or Needs
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Wants or Needs
To determine whether media-related products are needs or wants, it is critical to first differentiate between the two terms. Needs constitute elements humans require to survive (Summers, Smith, Case & Linthurst, 2012). For instance, food, clothes, and shelter are needed because people must have them to survive. On the contrary, wants are the things individuals wish to have, but they are not essential for survival (Camilleri, 2018). In other words, wants are optional, and with or without them, one can survive. Based on the definition of needs and wants, media-related products like movies, sound recordings, TV programs, and magazines qualify to be wants. These products inform, educate and entertain, hence playing a critical role in human survival. However, while the products are essential, someone can still do without them. It is something one may want to possess, immediately or sometime later, depending on the availability of resources. Without media-related products, individuals can still go on with life. In essence, although these products have become a part of life in the modern world, they remain as wants and not needs.
Each industry has its challenges, and the media industry is not an exception. Digital disruption is happening everywhere, hence necessitating adapting to the realities of the new dawn. Remaining relevant means considering the changes not only of today but also of tomorrow. The Internet has changed how the media interacts with its audience (Kapoor et al., 2018). In traditional media like TV and radio, the audience was passive. However, with digitalization, the audience is more central and plays an influential role. Media personalities and houses have to consider individual tastes and preferences while generating content. Consumers now have a significant determinant on what content developers produce.
Media consumers now have more power than before. Content creators must connect with their audience. Otherwise, they will lack an audience. Social medi...