Lesson 1.

Recognizing Fads

Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st Century Culture

General Academic Strand | Humanities and Social Sciences
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In social media, the word
trending is used to describe
popular activities, events,
or personalities.

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Many people nowadays participate in
trending challenges that they also
share with their connections.

4
A quick browse of a
social media timeline
would reveal that new
challenges emerge as old
ones reach their peak.

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 Learning
Competency
Differentiate a trend from a fad
(HUMSS_MCT12-Ia-b-3).

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 Learning
Objectives ● Describe the elements and characteristics
of a fad.

● Differentiate a trend from a fad.

● Analyze the connection between trends and

fads.

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 Never Have I Ever
Let’s
Connect The table on the next slide lists seven activities
on social media that have the consequence of
making a phenomenon viral. Put a checkmark in
column A if you are familiar with the activity and
do the same in column B if you have done it
before.

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 Never Have I Ever
A B SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITY
Let’s
Connect posting a meme

using a viral hashtag

sending or sharing a chain message

doing a social media dance challenge

participating in other social media challenges

tagging friends to do a social media challenge

changing the frame of your social media display picture

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 1. Based on the activity, what is the meaning
Let’s of virality in social media?
Connect

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 2. Why do people participate in viral activities
Let’s on social media?
Connect

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 3. How do you decide if you will post, share,
Let’s or perform a viral activity on social media?
Connect

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Essential
Question

How can you determine if a phenomenon is

a trend or a fad?

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 Trends vs. Fads

● commonly used interchangeably to describe popular

practices

● two different concepts in the social sciences

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 A Fad as a Collective Behavior

● unstructured
● popular
● performed without other
people’s compulsion

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Kinds of Fads (Miller 2013)

● useful product
● novelty product
● activity fad

Brewing dalgona coffee became

popular during the COVID-19
lockdown.
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 Examples of Fads

Jelly Shoes Bobblehead Ice Bucket

(Useful Product) (Novelty Product) Challenge
(Activity Fad) 17
Check Your
Progress

Is online education a fad? If it is, what kind of

fad is it?

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 Elements of a Fad

Appeal A fad captures the attention of many people.

Purpose

Impact

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 Elements of a Fad

Appeal

Purpose A fad is not necessarily useless.

Impact

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 Elements of a Fad

Appeal

Purpose

Impact A fad has effects at the individual, group,

and societal levels.

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Analyzing a Fad: Planking

● Appeal: evolved to become a

popular form of protest

● Purpose: expresses a demand

(not simply a nuisance activity)

● Impact: may force the

government to act on an issue

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Characteristics of a Fad

● perceived novelty and/or strangeness

● short life span
● limited scope
● heterogeneity

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 Characteristics of a Fad

Perceived novelty and/or

strangeness

People tend to be attracted to

new or strange products and
experiences.

Novelty is achieved by redesigning

a product.
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 Characteristics of a Fad

Short Life Span

The popularity of a fad
decreases after the saturation
point has been reached.

Game developers keep updating

features to continuously hook
players.
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 Characteristics of a Fad

Limited Scope

A fad is influential only to a

segment of the population.

A new diet fad may only be

popular among the middle class.

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 Characteristics of a Fad

Heterogeneity

People and organizations

adopt fads in different
ways.

Businesses do not simply

copy management fads.
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 Differentiating Trends from Fads

Areas of Comparison

● life span
● popularity
● impact to society

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Differentiating Trends from Fads

Trends Fads
exists for a long exists only for a short
period of time period of time
may be unknown to extremely popular
many people
have impacts that have minimal or
endure over time negligible impacts

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Differentiating Trends from Fads

Trends Fads
exists for a long period exists only for a short
of time period of time
may be unknown to extremely popular
many people
have impacts that have minimal or
endure over time negligible impacts

30
Differentiating Trends from Fads

Trends Fads
exists for a long period exists only for a short
of time period of time
may be unknown to extremely popular
many people
have impacts that have minimal or
endure over time negligible impacts

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Check Your
Progress

Why is it important to know the difference

between a trend and a fad?

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 Modified True or False. Write true if the statement is
Try This!
correct. Otherwise, write the correct term or phrase
that needs to replace the underlined word.

1. A fad increases in its appeal when people

reach the saturation point.

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 Modified True or False. Write true if the statement is
Try This!
correct. Otherwise, write the correct term or phrase
that needs to replace the underlined word.

2. A fad has a relatively shorter life span

compared to a trend.

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 Modified True or False. Write true if the statement is
Try This!
correct. Otherwise, write the correct term or phrase
that needs to replace the underlined word.

3. Reinventing a product or practice leads

people to believe that a fad is an entirely
new phenomenon.

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 Modified True or False. Write true if the statement is
Try This!
correct. Otherwise, write the correct term or phrase
that needs to replace the underlined word.

4. People engage in a fad in similar ways consistent

with the heterogeneous characteristic.

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 Modified True or False. Write true if the statement is
Try This!
correct. Otherwise, write the correct term or phrase
that needs to replace the underlined word.

5. Novelty products are useful in performing

everyday activities.

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 ● A fad is an example of collective behavior that
Wrap-Up attracts a segment of a population for a short
period.

● There are three kinds of fads, according to Miller

(2013): (1) useful products, (2) novelty products,
and (3) activity fads.

● The elements of a fad refer to its appeal,

purpose, and impact.
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Wrap-Up ● A fad can be identified based on the following
characteristics: (1) perceived novelty and/or
strangeness, (2) short life span, (3) limited
scope, and (4) heterogeneity.

● The emergence of a fad is traceable to a

prevailing trend in society.

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Wrap-Up

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 1. Discuss the purpose, appeal, and impact of a
Challenge
Yourself fad that you have tried doing (activity fad) or
using (useful/novel product).

2. Analyze the connection between the fad you

identified in the previous item and the trend
that influenced its emergence.

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Photo Credit

Slide no. 17: Red jellies on a red bath mat by TheOnlyAnla who is taking a break until her math t is licensed under
CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons; Mission Accomplished - ALS Ice Bucket Challenge by Anthony Quintano licensed
under CC BY 2.0 via Flickr.

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Bibliography

Abrahamson, Eric, and Micki Eisenman. "Employee-management Techniques: Transient Fads or Trending Fashions?"
Administrative Science Quarterly 53, no. 4 (2008), 719-744. doi:10.2189/asqu.53.4.719.

Aguirre, B. E., E. L. Quarantelli, and Jorge L. Mendoza. "The Collective Behavior of Fads: The Characteristics, Effects,
and Career of Streaking." American Sociological Review 53, no. 4 (1988), 569. doi:10.2307/2095850.

Andrade, Jeannette I., and TJ Burgonio. "‘Die-ins’ Yesterday, ‘Planking’ Today." INQUIRER.net. Last modified
September 20, 2011.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/61483/%E2%80%98die-ins%E2%80%99-yesterday-%E2%80%98planking%E2%8
0%99-today.

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Bibliography

Barkan, Steven E. "Chapter 21: Collective Behavior and Social Movements." In Sociology: Understanding and Changing
the Social World. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing, 2016.
https://open.lib.umn.edu/sociology/part/chapter-21-collective-behavior-and-social-movements/.

Mangosing, Frances, Jamie Elona, and Julliane Love De Jesus, Kristine Angeli Sabillo, Matikas Santos. "Hundreds of
Thousands Join People’s March Against Pork Barrel." INQUIRER.net. Last modified August 26, 2013.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/475165/tens-of-thousands-join-peoples-march-against-pork-barrel.

Miller, David L. "Fads and Fashion." In Introduction to Collective Behavior and Collective Action, 3rd ed., 195-228. Long
Grove: Waveland Press, 2013.

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