Unit 1

Understanding Trends and Fads

Lesson 1.1 Definition, Characteristics, and Elements of a Trend

People tend to be swayed by prevalent

behavior among their peers. For example, in the
field of communications, fast-paced development
in the means of communication—from analog
telephones to mobile phones, and finally,
smartphones—has made people’s lives more
convenient. These shifts have been well-received
among consumers. For instance, when the latest
models of a well-known smartphone maker are
released, the new devices make record-breaking
sales, because consumers update their phones to
keep up with new features and offerings.

Similar shifts have been observed in the

field of education. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, schools have already gradually moved to digitize the
way they teach. Since digitization supports the need to learn how to use technology in modern times, more
schools have introduced digitization, commonly known as “e-learning,” to equip their students with the
necessary skills to adapt to current conditions. Among schools, students, and parents, e-learning is viewed as
an emergent reality in the education system worldwide. Is e-learning a trend? If so, what makes it a trend? Find
out as you read this lesson about the basic characteristics and elements of trends

The Concept of Trend

A trend is a continuous pattern of change that occurs in either a condition, a process, or an
output. As a condition, a trend can be a prevailing circumstance like wearing face masks as a minimum
health standard during a pandemic. As a process, a trend is a way of doing something, such as modern
procedures for preserving food. As an output, a trend is a particular product widely used by many, like
homemade “organic” soaps and wireless devices.

A trend is also considered as a general direction of change that develops over time. The changes
or development of a trend can be recognizable or unrecognizable. An example of a recognizable trend is the
change in public transportation modes during the past century in the Philippines.

During the Spanish colonization, the kalesa or horse-drawn carriage was the common means of
transportation in the Philippines. After World War II, US military jeeps left by American armed forces were
converted into the jeepneys that we ride in modern times. Until now, jeepneys are ubiquitous on Philippine
roads and are the most popular means of transportation. Around 2015, a new means of transportation
emerged and became popular in the metro, as authorized private vehicles were converted to taxi-like ride-
sharing services, called transport network vehicle services (TNVS).

Figure 1. Evolution of Transportation in the Philippines

Another recognizable trend is the change in the means of communication. The way we
communicate started with analog telephones, then mobile phones, and with today’s smartphones. The modes
of communication also changed from audio (sound only) to audiovisual (sound with video).

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 As earlier mentioned, trends can also be unrecognized. These unrecognizable trends are changes that
we do not usually give focus our attention to. Changes or trends in human behavior often go unnoticed until
certain occurrences give light to them.

Trends are present in a variety of fields or aspects of social life, such as fashion and style, business,
technology, sports, and many others. Wearing denim jeans or maong pants is an example of a trend in
fashion, as this type of pants is used by all ages, sexes, and nationalities worldwide since the 17th
century. The most popular denim jeans brand was started by a German Jewish immigrant as rugged work
pants made of denim with copper rivets for gold diggers in California. Denim jeans are now widely accepted,
mainly as casual wear.

Fig. 2. Denim jeans or maong pants have been widely accepted casual wear since the 1870s

The emergence of a trend is an inevitable phenomenon in this world. A trend is considered dynamic since it
undergoes constant change and development. It is not truly permanent and is only classified as such during
the specific time or season when it existed.

Take the case of exclusive male suffrage or the view that only men are entitled to vote and hold
public office. This formerly accepted view was abandoned as women fought for the passage of laws affirming
and protecting their right to suffrage. There are trends, however, that date back decades or centuries ago, but
continue to exist in contemporary times such as the continued presence of traditional marketplaces despite the
establishment of supermarkets. The same may also be said of feminist movements in different countries that
build on previous victories and carry on the fight against present forms of gender-based discrimination and
violence.

Characteristics of Trends
In evaluating whether a condition, a process, or an output is a trend, the following characteristics must be
evident:

 Endurance Over Time

Trends usually prevail for a considerable period of time due to popularity among people. It stays in
power for years, decades, and sometimes for generations.

 Acceptability

Many of the trends are accepted and embraced by a good number of people. It is for the enjoyment of
the majority; however, it may not be accepted by everyone, because there are always some who would be
resistant to emerging trends.

 Cultural Roots

Trends are usually based on traditions, systems of belief, and accepted values in a society. This
characteristic reflects the power of trends to give people a sense of belongingness or attachment to
practices or objects that have become part of their lives.

 Transitory Increase or Decrease

Trends, though existent for a specific period of time, may occasionally experience a decline in their
popularity and level of acceptance. Some trends persist and may eventually resurface and produce
greater influence.
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  Versatility

For a trend to sustain its existence and high level of acceptability, it must be flexible or
opento changes and adjustments to continually suit the needs of the people. Trends must adapt to
current societal conditions to remain relevant.

Let's take the example of annual Christmas party celebrations by families, friends, schools, and
companies. Let us assess if this practice has all five characteristics of a trend.

Element Application

Endurance Over Time Christmas parties have been celebrated for decades and even
forcenturies.

Acceptability There are no signs that these will fade in the coming generations
because people consider these celebrations as part of their lives.

Cultural Roots Celebrating Christmas parties has become part of the culture and
tradition of Filipinos. They reflect the Filipino values of sharing,
giving, and coming together as one.

Transitory Increase or The celebration of Christmas parties may be affected by

Decrease globalissues. During the pandemic, a transitory decrease in in-
person Christmas parties is expected.

Versatility These celebrations have also adapted to changing times

fromsimple family dinners to big, elaborate, programmed parties in
modern times.

Elements of Trends

Sinceatrendcanbeconsideredasabehavioralpracticethathasbecomeacceptedandpopular over
time, it is usually confused with other related terms of collective or massbehavior like fads and
crazes. To address this, below are the elements that a trenddistinctively possesses. A separate
lesson about fads and crazes will differentiate thesephenomenafromtrends.
Basic Need
A trend will last for a long time if it fulfills basic human needs, which are strong driving forces behind a trend.
Unlike luxuries, necessities cannot be easily done away with, so trends that satisfy basic necessities are likely
to exist for long periods of time.

Driver of Change
A trend is one reason why changes are inevitable in peoples’ lives. Emerging trends bend, modify, or replace
existing ones. Sometimes, trends bring drastic changes to existing conditions, which is why not all trends are
immediately accepted by many.
Innovation
Innovation in trends assures that for every trend that has unfolded, a better trend may occur and
develop. Trends are bound to happen due to the dynamics of contemporary times, where innovations
through inventions and discoveries are increasingly common.
For example, let's take the emergence of the 5G technology (or fifth-generation mobile network
technology) for broadband internet. The three elements of a trend will be utilized to explain why 5G
technology is considered a trend in the present time.

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 Element Analysis

Basic Need The improved wireless access feature of 5G technology allows the internet to be
relayed to the farthest and widest possible locations. Internet access has become a
basic need for all, but fast internet connection is limited to those who can be
reached by wired connections or good signal reception.

Driver of Change To address the increasing demand for high-speed connections, digitization has
pushed experts to continuously search for new technologies that will deliver the
fastest possible internet speed

Innovation The 5G technology intend store place its predecessor wireless broadband
connections, such as the 4G long-term evolution (LTE) and 3G technology,
which currently dominates the mobile broadband internet market worldwide.
The 5G highlights the ultimate convenienceofbrowsingtheinternetat higher
speeds and better capacities compared to its predecessors.

Types of Trends

Trends are classified into different types according to the extent of their existence, emergence, and
acceptance. There are three types of trends, namely, megatrends, macrotrends, and microtrends.

 MEGATRENDS
Megatrends originated a long time ago but continue to exist and influence people in the present times.
The scope is immense, usually on a global scale, while the impact penetrates different aspects of
peoples’ lives. Due to their significance, attempts to amend, replace, or bend these trends would be
difficult to attain.

In the field of sports, some globally known trends trace their roots from previous generations. For
instance, the competitive practice of sports emerged in early civilizations, as can be seen in the first
Olympic Games in Greece, but sports are still practiced competitively through a great variety of events,
such as the World Cup. These trends are recognized worldwide, not only at the local level or in specific
conditions.

 MACROTRENDS
Macrotrends are focused only on a specific component of a prevailing megatrend. This type of trend
usually attempts to bend existing megatrends. For example, ball games were the predominant trend in
sports before, but new trends are now gaining popularity, such as board games, video games, martial
arts, and e-sports. In the field of technology, the prevailing trend was focused on making the lives of
human’s convenience on using different machines. Now there are many discoveries and inventions that
seek not only to make the lives of humans convenient but also to replace humans themselves, such as
artificial intelligence.

 MICROTRENDS
Microtrends are focused on specific groups or settings. Unlike megatrends and macrotrends, this type
of trend might not be globally recognizable, because its scope is limited to a particular set of people,
locations, or conditions. Trends in fashion may be considered a microtrend because it also depends on
conditions; for instance, trends in tropical countries are different from countries that experience several
seasons. Another example is the use of one of the most famous social media platforms during its early
stages. It can be considered as a microtrend since it was initially only intended for students inside the
university where it was invented.

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Lesson 1.2 Recognizing Fads

For many people, the word trending is synonymous with popularity. A person, phenomenon, or object
may be trending for various reasons. For example, a politician’s statement may become a hot topic on social
media because of its controversial claims. On the other hand, random acts of kindness captured on camera
receive praise and are shared by thousands of social media users, because they induce positive emotions. In
these two examples, social media platforms serve as avenues to render individual and collective judgments on
particular issues.

Social media platforms also allow people to pursue their interests. Many people nowadays
participate in trending challenges that they also share with their connections. A quick browse of a social media
timeline would reveal that new challenges emerge as old ones reach their peak. From a social science
perspective, is it correct to use the word trend to label social media challenges? Or is there a more appropriate
term that may be used to understand the phenomenon? Discover the answers to these questions as you read
the sections below

Trends and fads are concepts commonly used interchangeably to describe popular practices. If
you recall, trends are patterns or occurrences that last for a long time. Some trends even outlive the generation
that first experienced them. At other times, trends reemerge but in a different configuration. From this
discussion, is it correct to say that trends and fads refer to the same phenomenon?

A Fad as a Collective Behavior

Before defining a fad, it is important to discuss the meaning and examples of collective behavior. As
an overview, it is an umbrella concept that captures many forms of social gatherings and movements, either
planned or unplanned (Barkan 2016). Examples include riots, crowds, social movements, and panics. These
activities differ in their purpose. In the Philippines, one good example of collective behavior with an evident
purpose is the 2013 Million People March. For this event, people gathered at Rizal Park to seek
accountability for the misuse of the pork barrel funds (Mangosing et al. 2013). Some participants also called for
the abolition of the pork barrel system itself.

If an action is performed by people in different locations and at other times, is it still considered a
collective action? What if people simply purchased and used a household product that eventually became
popular? Is the concept also applicable to understand the appeal of social media challenges? In sociology,
such actions fall under a type of collective action popularly known as a fad. Unlike planned and structured
types of collective behavior like gatherings and social movements, fads are usually adopted without other
people's compulsion. Participants of activity fads or users of product fads are less likely to know each other,
but at the societal level, there is a general observation that they engage in the same practice.

Miller (2013, 198) identifies three kinds of fads: (1) useful product, (2) novelty product, and (3) activity fad.

 The first kind refers to new or existing products that people use in their everyday life. An
example would be jelly shoes that became popular among women.
 A novelty product, on the other hand, pertains to objects that do not have practical utility. An
example is a bobblehead doll commonly given as memorabilia.
 The last kind, activity fad, is actions or activities that suddenly become popular. The ice bucket
challenge that many people, including celebrities, participated in is a prime example of this kind
of fad. Their goal was to spread awareness about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a
neuromuscular disease.

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 Examples of fads (from left to right): jelly shoes, bobbleheads, and the ice bucket challenge

Elements of a Fad

The sections below discuss the three elements that can be recognized in any example of a fad, whether they
are useful products, novelty products, or activity fads.

 Appeal
- Based on the kinds of fads identified by Miller (2013), fads become popular because of their
usefulness, novelty, or oddity. In business, this is translated to an increase in market
share and revenues. On the Internet, popularity is measured in terms of the number of
searches, website visits, and social media posts and mentions. The challenge for product or
service developers is to sustain the growth for a certain period.

- In the case of activity fads, which can be performed online or offline, the profit motive may
be inexistent. Bottle flipping, planking, and accomplishing online challenges are some
examples. It was only with the prominence of these activities that companies harnessed
their marketing potential. A mineral water brand, for example, launched a social media
promo that required participants to do the flip the bottle challenge. This instance illustrates
that fads either come from the deliberate effort of an individual, group, or organization or the
spontaneous discovery of a new product or activity that eventually became popular.

 Purpose
- Contrary to the popular view, fads serve various purposes (Aguirre, Quarantelli, and
Mendoza 1988). People use products and engage in fads for entertainment, relaxation,
income generation, resistance, among other reasons. Describing them as irrational or
manipulated disregards their ability to create meanings out of these practices. What may
seem as illogical from an outside perspective may be coherent and meaningful when
analyzed from the other side. A classic example is streaking or the act of running naked in
public, sometimes in colleges and universities. For all its oddity and offensiveness,
streaking, according to Aguirre, Quarantelli, and Mendoza (1988), serves to strengthen
group solidarity in addition to the fun and excitement it brings to the actors.

- From another perspective, analyzing fads as purposeful tends to celebrate or romanticize

people's actions, which would otherwise be considered deviant when evaluated based on
society's standards. However, a more sympathetic view would emphasize the often-ignored
fact about the role of fads in fulfilling basic human needs, no matter how strange the object
or action may be. In some instances in the past, activity fads even served as acts of protest
(Andrade and Burgonio 2011)
 Impact
- Despite being a form of unstructured and non-simultaneous form of collective action, fads
still impact people’s lives. The tendency to dismiss fads as transitory and insignificant has
the consequence of not fully understanding the result of a sudden increase in the popularity
of a product or activity. The discussion above about a fad’s purpose highlights the
importance of allowing people who participate in fads to express their own views on the
relevance of a particular issue or activity.

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 - The impacts of fads can be analyzed on the individual, group, and societal levels.

 On the individual level, the consumption of product fads, for example, has effects
on spending habits. People also allot time and effort to accomplish tasks associated
with a fad. This is evident in learning the steps of a new social media dance
challenge and familiarizing oneself with the features of a new online or offline game.
 On the group level, fads may develop a sense of community among participants, as
the example of streaking has demonstrated. Networks are formed among previously
unassociated people as they become aware of each other’s interests. Fans of love
teams on television, for example, form clubs with members located in different parts
of the world.
 At the societal level, the impact of a fad is unpredictable due to its short life span.
However, some fads undeniably produced unprecedented changes. One example is
the ice bucket challenge that helped raise funds for people with amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis.

Characteristics of a Fad

Similar to a trend, a fad also possesses characteristics that make it different from other social
phenomena. Take note of each aspect discussed below in preparation for the section on the comparison
between trends and fads.

Perceived Novelty and/or Strangeness

People tend to be attracted to new or strange products and experiences. Manufacturers bank on
this fact in their attempt to create new products that will appeal to people. Novelty is achieved by branding an
old product as an improved version. Try to compare the toys you had to the current models sold online or in
stores. For example, dolls never change in their purpose, but the difference is in the form and design. The
same can also be said of household appliances that are now marketed as lighter and more energy-friendly.

For activity fads, the novelty may be mistaken with the reemergence of an old fad. In the case of
planking, some activists claimed that the practice is the same as die-in protests or acting like a dead body in
the street (Andrade and Burgonio 2011). In their study of streaking (running naked), Aguirre, Quarantelli, and
Mendoza (1988, 576) stated that the activity was already widespread before the series of streaking incidents in
the United States in 1974.

Short Life Span

Fads gain popularity for only a short period of time. The life cycle—emergence, peak, and decline—is
completed within days, weeks, or months. Fads that survive for a year or a couple of years are exceptions to
this pattern. A new online game, for example, eventually declines after reaching its saturation point a few
weeks or months after its release. The saturation point is the exhaustion of the possible benefits, purposes,
or uses of a product, service, or practice associated with a fad. As a remedy, service providers like game
developers keep updating features to deliver new experiences to users.

The decline of some fads sometimes overlaps with the emergence of others. In the example above, the
number of players in an online game may decrease after the release of another game. This phenomenon is
also observable on the Internet in the decreasing popularity of memes and social media challenges as new
templates and formats are created every day.

Limited Scope

A fad only becomes popular among a limited number of people. Scope, in this sense, refers to the
demographic or geographic reach of a fad. A diet fad, for example, may only be popular among middle-
class women. In the same token, the impact of new cultural practices may only be confined within a country's
boundaries.

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 The number of people who participate in a fad is possible to be plotted in a graph. A breakdown of the
total number of engagements may be generated to determine the popularity of a fad among people according
to their age, sex, nationality, race, socio-economic status, and educational attainment, to name a few
indicators. The same data may also be presented in a thematic map to determine the geographic distribution of
engagements. Generating data about the demographic and geographic reach of fads has become easier
because of the Internet. For example, social media fads are now analyzed based on the number of shares,
reactions, comments, and hashtags about a particular product or practice.

Heterogeneity

Another misconception about fads is rooted in the tendency to think that people will always have the
same application of a practice when it is adopted in another locality. In fact, people continually modify the use
or meaning of a popular product or activity (Aguirre, Quarantelli, and Mendoza 1988). In this sense, the fad is
contextualized in the culture of a group or country. In their study of fads in management, Abrahamson and
Eisenman (2008) found that companies do not just copy popular techniques. This finding supports the claim
that people can redefine a fad's purpose instead of being manipulated to follow it.

Comparing Trends and Fads

The discussion above breaks the popular idea that a fad is the same as a trend. Popularity, which is a
key quality of a fad, may not be present in a trend. In many instances, people are not aware of the existence of
a trend in society. This is highlighted in the fact that a trend does not necessarily pertain to a particular product.
Instead, it is evident if there is a significant shift in the consumption of a product at two specific points in time.

It is important to remember that comparison entails that the two concepts or objects being compared
belong to the same category. From the discussion above, a fad is best described as a behavior. People
perform actions such as using a product, adopting a set of ideas, or doing an odd or novel practice. On the
other hand, a trend is a significant shift in the occurrence and magnitude of behavior or observable
phenomenon for a long time. It also alters existing social patterns that have the consequence of
influencing the life of future generations. This is in contrast to a fad that only lasts for a relatively short time
with an impact that is either minimal or negligible. This does not discount the fact that some fads produce
unpredictable effects, as demonstrated by the ice bucket challenge. They are, however, exceptions to the rule.

Areas of Comparison Trend Fad

Life Span A long period of time A short period of time

Popularity Not necessarily popular; may be Extremely popular

unknown to the majority of the
population

Impact on Society Enduring overtime Minimal or negligible

Reference:

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

Prepared by:
NICASIO B. BALBONTIN, LPT
Subject Teacher, TNCT