Wants Vs Needs
To effectively analyse the difference and ideas between wants and needs, I listed my own personal wants and needs, and then the wants and needs of the Essex county, in order to compare and contrast them.
Personal Wants
New phone New car New laptop Money Books Personal Needs
Food Water Shelter Oxygen Education Healthcare Law and Safety Clothing Sunlight Essex Wants
Leisure (cinema, bowling, etc) Shopping Facilities Easy access transport (eg frequent buses, numerous train lines)
Essex Needs
Accommodation
Supermarkets
Doctors/Hospitals
Job opportunities
Some means of transport (eg a train station or a bus)
What Does This Mean?
The idea of wants and needs can be influenced by the media. Artists that we listen to and who's music videos we watch have a role in our general ideas of "wants". Those who may feel they "want" a new car or the money for it, could be attracted to a music video that involves the artist driving in an expensive car, as it plays with their desires to appeal to a wider range of people. Although some artists target the idea of needs, wants is definitely a bigger focus. However, the music videos could be a point at which the line between wanting and needing something is blurred, and the audience are so absorbed in this idea that they feel themselves needing things that they really just want.
In example:
Taylor Swift - Look What You Made Me Do
Swift's video for "Look What You Made Me Do" contains a scene of her laying in a bath full of expensive jewellery. Not only does this help to influence the lyrics - describing how she is "better off" nowadays - but it also reaches out to the audience's potential wants for money or jewellery. It helps to create a reaction from them and gives an almost personal connection between the video and the watcher. Although the idea of bathing in jewellery is almost impossible, it definitely sends across feelings of the audience wishing they were able to be in that situation.
Katy Perry - Bon Appétit
The focus of this music video doesn't particularly portray the idea of wants and needs, however some may argue that Perry herself portrays this. The featuring artist, Migos, has a significant role in displaying most human wants. There are parts in his feature which involves him holding money. These can be used to imply the wants of almost the entire human race. The fact that there are large amounts of money that they have nothing else to do but hold, despite their expensive appearance including clothes, sunglasses and jewellery. This targets the idea of wants even further as the artist has spare of what we desperately want.
DJ Khaled - I'm The One
This music video uses setting to mainly portray ideas of wants. The fact that the artists are centred behind an expensive house with a swimming pool means that the audience are unable to look away from it. This helps to blur the lines between wants and needs as the viewer becomes almost intoxicated by their wants, until they feel more like needs. It could be said that this was the reaction wanted by the artists. Since the video is primarily performance, the setting doesn't change and there is no moral or story that the audience could be distracted by. In conclusion, this means that the audience are constantly reminded of their wants and unable to avoid them.
