TRENDS, NETWORKS, & CRITICAL

THINKING IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Christine Diane Galvan

Instructress
 How do fads and trends come
about?
Both fads and trends are products of
people’s reaction to events. Whether the
reaction will bring about a fad or a trend
remains to be determined, but the resulting
fad or trend is directly proportional or
commensurate to the magnitude of the
event.
 Events + People’s
Reactions to said events
= Fad/Trend
Nature of Fads and Trends:
Tangible and Non-Tangible
 Tangible Fads and Trends
• are those that can be felt by the five
senses: can be seen, touched, smelled,
tasted, and heard

Examples:
• Diet pills
• Most-read book for a year
• Fidget Spinner
 Intangible Fads and Trends
• Are those that cannot be felt by the five senses but
form part of the behavior and attitude of the people.
Examples:
• The change in buying behavior of consumers after
every economic crisis
• If people spent more on material goods and didn’t
mind getting more than one credit card, after every
crisis, the people began a culture of saving and risk
avoidance which entailed limited spending and
cutting credit card subscriptions.
What’s the use of knowing Fads
and Trends?
• Knowledge of fads enables one to dig the
reasons why such fads exist. Once these
reasons are identified, one will be enabled
to identify more long-term and sustainable
alternatives, which are trends.
• Once one identifies a trend, the knowledge
must be put to practical use.

• For example, trends are very helpful to

businesspeople, entrepreneurs, and
marketing people, because they can invest
their capital and other resources to trends.
• Aside from businesspeople, doctors and
those in the medical profession also benefit
from the knowledge of trends, as they will
know what to advise their patients which will
prove effective.

• This practice applies to teachers and

educators as well. Even to book-writers and
those who need to sell a particular “market”.
• For you, knowing fads and trends is
important in planning. Recognizing
patterns and how long those would last
are skills that make one a good planner.
Differentiating Fads and Trends
According to David Zach, a futurist, one
must be able to notice and play with fads;
and work and plan with trends. However,
instead of this, we are too seduced by fads
an ignorant of trends.
• What’s more, we often suppose that fads
are the trends—what is cool, what is in,
what is attention-grabbing that causes
bandwagoning.
• However, the quick entry and surge of
popularity of these fads also mark the
manner of their exit – fast and often
unnoticed.
• While the waves just rock the boat and
capture our attention, trends move the boat.
Even though currents are difficult to see,
they are stronger than waves and have long-
lasting effect on the boat.

• Given this, we must learn to navigate the

current of trends instead of paying attention
to the waves of fads.
 Features of Trends
1. Easy.
Trends do not require many adjustments on
the part of subscribers. In fact, trends are
smooth and straightforward to follow.
2. Consistent.
Trends generate uniform and tangible
results. Unlike fads which claim to deliver
results in the often-unrealistic timeframe,
trends are steady and dependable.
3. Sustainable.
Trends exist and can be maintained for a long time. Unlike
fads which are brief and fleeting, trends are for the long-
term.

4. Broad application.
Trends are consumed by a large group of people from
different sectors of society and various walks of life. Unlike
fads which are contained in one segment of the society,
trends almost have a general acceptance among people.
Quiz
Instruction: On a ½ crosswise,
write how fads and trends can
help you in your life in not more
than 100 words.