PACIFIC SOUTHBAY COLLEGE, INC.

Purok Carmenville, Brgy. Calumpang General Santos City

ELEMENTS AND
CHARACTERISTICS OF A TREND
Trends, Networks and Critical Thinking in the 21st Century

Prepared by:

Mark D. Hapitana, LPT

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 ELEMENTS OF A TREND
1. Number of 2. Pattern of
Participants Behavior

3. Long Period of
Time

4. Cause 5. Consequence

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 1. Number of Participants
A trend may be started by an individual
but the number of people who follow it
becomes bigger as time goes by.
The group grows into a community
which, not for long after, swells into
national and international societies.

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 1. Number of Participants

People often copy

the trendsetters and
so a new fashion
trend develops.

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 2. Pattern of Behavior
A trend is formed from
repetitive actions of people.

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 2. Pattern of Behavior

The simple act of taking a selfie has now become

cultural trend. It is almost impossible not to see
someone taking selfie in any place--- be it in a tourist
spot, in a restaurant, in a hotel lobby, beside a movie
poster in a cinema and among others.
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 2. Pattern of Behavior

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 3. Long Period of Time
A trend has a long time frame, sometimes
running for decades. A trend may experience
some ups and downs in popularity, may fade
away, and may recur.

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 3. Long Period of Time
Example: A telephone was the main line of
voice communication for many decades. It
revolutionized modern living and had great
impacts socially, both positive and negative.

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 4. CAUSE

A trend has a starting point

which can be an idea, technology,
event, or person.

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 4. CAUSE
Example: A portable audio players were
popularized when Walkman was introduced in
the 1980s, allowing people to listen to
recorded music (cassette tapes) through
headphones or earphones.

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 4. CAUSE
Later, it would evolve in the form of portable
CD player. Then came revolutionary trend
with the advent of digital audio players where
the music playlist could be saved onto the
device or be downloaded online. (present)

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 5. Consequence

A trend makes considerable

influence or impact.

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 5. Consequence
Example: Social networking has become an
encompassing trend that tends to influence
behaviors of online users. With the popularity of
smartphones, users began subscribing to various
social networking portals which enable them to post
activity statuses and photos, and even connect with
celebrities. People could now air their opinions on
diverse matters and say almost anything.

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Characteristics
of
Trends
 Trends are difficult to
study and analyze.
Studying them is like
predicting the future and
determining what changes
may possibly last and thus
have wide effects on
society and the people.
 HIERARCHY
OF TRENDS
Rehn and Lindkvist (2013)

- Explains why trends seem to have

varying reach, effects, and influences on
people. This Hierarchy is a representation
of the scale of the development of a trend.
 HIERARCHY
OF TRENDS
Rehn and Lindkvist (2013)

1. MICROTRENDS
- Are “little things that happen all around us all
the time, the tiny shifts that occur in
everything from clothes we wear and the
snacks we eat to the way we work, play and
love.”
 HIERARCHY
OF TRENDS
Rehn and Lindkvist (2013)

1. MICROTRENDS
- These trends happen right now and are
outright observable. For others, microtrends
are synonymous with fads. This offer a
glimpse about the future through the clues
they possess.
HIERARCHY
OF TRENDS
Rehn and Lindkvist (2013)
 HIERARCHY
OF TRENDS
Rehn and Lindkvist (2013)

2. MACROTRENDS
- Are “exaggerated microtrends or more
sweeping changes that are affective society.”
They provide major changes that are
perceptible in the societal level for a longer
period.
 HIERARCHY
OF TRENDS
Rehn and Lindkvist (2013)

2. MACROTRENDS
- These are more stable than
microtrends, which can quickly
fizzle out.
HIERARCHY
OF TRENDS
Rehn and Lindkvist (2013)
 HIERARCHY
OF TRENDS
Rehn and Lindkvist (2013)

3. MEGATRENDS
- Are “macrotrends that have grown
up and moved out. They are big and
bold, and affect the lives of great
swathes of human race.”
 HIERARCHY
OF TRENDS
Rehn and Lindkvist (2013)
3. MEGATRENDS
They can last for decades and are “so
pervasive as to be generally known.”
because of this condition, megatrends are
regarded as so obvious and evident. Thus,
they have become the prevailing condition
that has become too normal.
 Gigatrends are HIERARCHY
usually identified OF TRENDS
to define an ERA. Rehn and Lindkvist (2013)

4. GIGATRENDS
- Are trends that are so general that they
affect most areas of human life---or, at
least, more than one aspect of life or
more than one industry.”
 REMEMBER:
The important thing in
studying trends is to
observe them closely
for subtle and sudden
shifts that ultimately
affect people, cultures,
and societies in
general.
 The End!

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