Yeah, as soon as I typed the word ‘need’, I thought “Uh oh. Slippery slope etc…”. But I guess the question that pops to mind is “where do people’s desires and interests come from?”. The general assumption is that people are expressing ‘what’s inside them’. But there’s a solid case to be made that desire and interest are also influenced by the same broad economic and ideological systems that underpin ad-supported media i.e. it becomes a bit of self-reinforcing feedback loop. Do I so desperately covet the iPhone because I want one based on my inherent needs? Or because I’m part of a system that fetishes technology or promotes conspicuous consumption or has convinced me (quite successfully, I might add) that I need to be in contact with people all the time? The question of ‘need’ isn’t so much about what I think people should do or be exposed to but what acts as counterbalance to prevailing trends and ideas – ostensibly the purpose of a free press.

You’re quite right though: it’s incredibly complicated and I can’t claim to have any more answers than anyone else. I was just hoping to to inject a little skepticism when it comes to ‘the market’ – something that isn’t terribly popular in the ‘technosphere’.

Oh also, sorry if the tone came off as a bit snarky – was having a bad morning.

Just one thing though: I’m very leery of telling people — or letting others tell people — what they “need” as opposed to what they want. How do we know what others need? We don’t, really (apart from obvious things like food, shelter, etc.).

How do people express their desire for things or ideas? They exchange them for other things — such as money or attention. That’s what we mean when we say “let the market decide.”