Trends, Networks,

and Critical Thinking

in the 21st Century Module 1: Fads vs. Trends
After going through this module, you should be able to:
1. differentiate a trend from a fad
2. give examples of a trend and a fad; and
3. explain the process on how to spot a trend
Fads vs. Trends
• The 21st century is a deluge of overwhelming
demands from a digital society; hence,
enormous trends have emerged. Global
trends have been increasingly given attention
and anchored to socio-cultural, economic,
and political dimensions. Unconsciously,
individuals like you do not realize that they
have been into certain trends.
Trends
• Trend is something that covers almost all of human activities such
as but not limited to politics, beliefs, economics, lifestyle, social life
and the like whether the individuals or groups of people are aware
of it or not. It is defined in various ways depending on the
orientation of these individuals or groups. In the fields of arts,
fashion and music for example, it is a prevailing style or preference
such as realism movement in art, emergence of the miniskirt, and
popularity of certain genre of music like jazz, classical and rock.
Many of you must have had an experience of listening or watching
Video-Karaoke singers during festivities or celebrations. You would
notice that song selections are dependent of the singers. Older
singers tend to opt for older songs while younger singers opt for
newer songs.
Trends
• Why do you think so? Well, it is because their song
selection was dependent on the most prevailing
genre of songs during their respective era or
generation. The trend toward portable music
players, is another example which started with the
invention of big, heavy, portable “boom boxes” and
transformed into personal CD players– continuing to
grow and change into the MP3 portable music
player phenomenon that we see today.
Trends
• In the sphere of economics, trends may come as a general
movement registering statistical changes for a long period
such as the increasing cost of living and rate of
unemployment. A typical example of this is the long
prevailing capitalistic mentality of people all throughout the
world which in one way or another dictates their economic
movement. Why do you still pursue your studies despite
the difficulties brought about by the current pandemic?
Well, most of you if not all would say, “because I have a
dream to fulfill. I want a good life, a good and stable job, a
career, etc.”
Trends
• In politics, trends refer to a tendency, drift, or bend
toward a certain stance, thought, or policy as when
democratic Southeast Asian countries favored
authoritarian governments at a certain point in their
histories. Well, this will also remind us of our own
history when there was a point in our time when
people felt that their freedom and liberty were
disregarded which brought them to a struggle to
regain it – the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution
Trends
• which eventually became a kindling reminder of how the
true spirit of democracy works. Other areas also exhibit
prevailing preference such as in sports (wearable devices
that monitor training performance), food (rise of oatmeal
products, inclusion of moringa or malunggay in food
products), medicine (stem cell treatment), cosmetics
(whitening supplements), travel (paperless tickets and
online check-in), manufacturing (3-D printing),
environmental management (home solar electric system).
To sum up, a trend is a pattern of behavior demonstrated
by a big number of people within a particular period.
Here are some examples of trend:
• gadgets
• teleserye
• social networking sites
• social advocacies
• drone technology
• denim jeans
• business process outsourcing
• online ticketing
• cashless transactions
Fad
• Trending ngayon sa YouTube ang…
Trending sa Twitter ang… Trending ngayon
sa Facebook ang… You might get confused
at these headlines from the News and ask,
“how can these be considered as trends
based on the above discussion?” This part
now discusses fads and how it differs from
trends.
Fad
• A Fad is something, such as an interest or
fashion, that is very popular for a short
time (Merriam– Webster’s Learner’s
Dictionary). A fad is a product that has
little, if any, utility but is characterized by a
quick rise in sales and popularity followed
by a quick decline in sales and popularity.
• This quick up and down in sales is because fad
products usually do not satisfy a strong consumer
need. Nevertheless, fads seldom completely die out
with some diehard followers remaining loyal. Now,
if we will look back at the first paragraph above, you
will now see that those things which are advertised
as “trending” in YouTube, Twitter, Instagram,
Facebook or any popular social media platforms are
not actually trends but are merely fads.
Here are some classic examples of fad.

• hula hoop • Hello Kitty

• Loomband • Candy Crush App
• iPod • kalyeserye
• yo-yo • virtual pets
• Frisbee • Pokémon Go
Here are some classic examples of fad.
• pet rock • Friendster
• troll doll • bucket challenge
• mannequin challenge
• “Gangnam Style” song
• Tamagochi pets
• hoverboards
• fidget spinner
A fad is an intense but short-lived fashion. It
is a widely– shared enthusiasm for
something, especially one that is short-lived.
It is a temporary fashion, a craze, interest, or
activity that people follow enthusiastically,
but lasts for a short period of time.
How does a trend differ from a fad? To simply put
it, a fad has a definite beginning and a definite
end while a trend though has a certain beginning
at a certain point in time or history but, it evolves
and changes as it continues to grow. Every
generation has its own set of fads. Do you now
realize what are those? Can you now recall some
stories of what fads came and went during your
time? It will surely yield a very interesting list.
The table below summarizes the distinction between a fad and a trend
according to Arzadon et.al. (2018).
Now that you have understood the
difference between fads and trends,
I think you are ready for a more
interesting journey towards a new
lesson which is spotting a trend!
Ready? Let’s go!
Spotting a Trend
Someone or something starts or causes a trend. A
person who starts a trend is called trendsetter. The
individual’s act or the event has attracted attention, earned
acceptance, and created strong interest and influence on
people whose number keeps increasing as days go by. The
act or event is something different from what is currently
going on and it becomes “the next big thing”. It
demonstrates an accelerated spread among various sectors
and areas and creates a deep and wide scope of influence
on people, sectors, and the environment. It leads to change.
 Let us put it this way, in 1986, the Philippines became very
popular to the world because of the Edsa People Power
Revolution which, as described by historians, a perfect
example of a successful peaceful revolution. However, if we
will still go a few more decades back, similar peaceful
revolution has also become very popular in India by the
leadership of Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi which eventually
brought India’s independence in 1947. What could have been
that trend which developed and evolved overtime? Well,
obviously those are freedom and democracy in which we may
consider Gandhi as the trendsetter in India, while the 1986
Edsa People Power may be attributed to the assassination of
the late Benigno Aquino Jr.
 According to futurists (a futurist is one who studies
and predicts the future, especially based on current
trends.) Rehn and Lindkvist (2013), trendspotting
refers to the study of trends and the way they develop
and affect society. According to them, this should be
differentiated from cool- hunting which is a hunt for
those things that will become popular before they are
popular. Trend analysis is based on trendspotting but it
extends this into developing future scenarios and so
they say that to follow a trend, one must not only be
conscious of what is currently happening but be wise
enough to predict the future.
 Arzadon et.al. (2018) mentioned that trends and
fads are sometimes used interchangeably, and they are
both important for organizations and people to keep
abreast with the changing environment. However, it is
also important to distinguish the difference between
trends and fads to deepen our understanding of
survival and adaptability. As members of society, we
should know how fads and trends to create changes in
our society. Certain fads and trends are created by
dominant cultures catering to their own interests. As
students, you should be able to analyze how to
respond to the issues and challenges brought about by
these changes.
End