TRENDS,

NETWORKS,
AND CRITICAL
THINKING

NAME :
______________________________________________________
GRADE AND SECTION: GRADE 12 HUMSS
TEACHER: LAUREANO R. FERANIL LPT
WEEK: 1 AND 2
 Week 1 and 2
LESSON 1 TRENDS AND FADS
Hoverboards, loom bands, tamagochi, Pokemon, loom bands, designer products coffee lattes,
Candy Crush, these are just some of the products that became popular in
recent and not-so-recent memory. Most of the time, they come as consumer
products bearing a definite price tag, touted in advertisements as "cool" or as the
new "IN" thing. They are purchased by a significant fraction of the population and
inhabit the consciousness of an even greater number of people. These are called FADS.
Every generation has its own set of fads. In fact, check with a representative of each
generation and ask his or her to recall stories of what fads came and went during
their time. It will surely yield a very interesting list.

Why do some products become fads? Some products are able to get a huge slice
of the market. Some social practices have a strong base of adherents. Promenading in
a mall, watching romance comedies, or buying burger in a fast food joint are activities enjoyed
by many, but they are not fads. The processes that make a product or a
practice into a fad may be more complex than mere sales or its following.

Bikhchandani,Hirschleifer, and Welch (1992) define fads as "seemingly drastic

swings in mass behavior without obvious external stimuli" Mass behavior means
a huge following, a mob subscribing to its use or patronage. However, it does not
explain the nature of the fad itself or the reasons why goods turn into fads or why fads end so
quickly.
There have been various attempts to explain fads. Karl and Shapiro (1985)
describe it according to the theory of network externalities, where the utility of a
product increases when more people use it. Take the example of a fax machine as a
product that can only be used with other fax machines. Facebook becomes a more
valuable social media platform not only because more people use it, but also because
it expands the connections one account holder could obtain. However, this only
explains why some products generate a huge following. It still cannot explain why
some goods exit the market very rapidly.

The cascade theory, proposed by Bikhchandini et. al. (1992), sheds light on the
viral quality of fads.

Information cascades happen when a potential consumer or user abandons his

or her own information and defer to the decision made by other individuals. For
example, a mob gathered around a food park in the city is enough to entice a group
of newcomers to join the crowd.

Other products suffer from what is called "finite variability" This happens when
it’s manufacturers can no longer manipulate or introduce new features; thus, wearing
out the interest and loyalty of its initial market. This can be true for some fads
the product can be so limited in design and execution and leaves no more possibility
for product innovation. For example, some market analysts pointed out that the
POKEMON GO app’s popularity declined rapidly because the developers did not
introduce new elements to keep player from getting bored.
Life cycles of products are useful in illustrating the behavior of a fad. Marketing
specialists agree that the lifespan of a regular product consists of four stages:

Introduction: The product is introduced to the market, there is an information

drive as the sales are still low, and its market share still is insignificant.

Growth stage: As the information drive gains mileage, the product sales steadily
rise and a significant market share is achieved.

Maturity stage: The product is established and the producers or manufacturers

aim to keep the market share through innovations and improvements.

Decline: The market may dwindle due to competition or lack of innovation, but
manufacturers could always opt for further innovation and keep the market
share, or reverse the decline, at the case often is. Innovation seems to be the
linchpin that extends the life of a product.

intro growth maturity decline

SALES

TIME
Figure 1. Life span of Regular Product

SALES
UNITS

TIME
Figure 2. Life span of a FAD
Notice that the diagram for FAD is an inverted V the span between product’s introduction and
growth is very short and the rise is very steep and the descent is very sharp.
 A fad is often used interchangeably with the word trend. Let us take our discussion
of the regular consumer product and its longer life span as a take-off point to illustrate the
concept of a trend and how it differs from a fad. A trend is a new item or a
practice that stabilizes and transforms into a habit, a lifestyle, or an enduring product.
The introduction of products with planned obsolescence-a strategy that ensures that
a product will soon be rendered out-of-date and must be replaced with a newer model
rules the spirit of innovation in today's profit-driven market. Take the mobile phone, for
example. The mobile phone was an improvement from the land-based telephones because
it is a more efficient and expansive form of communication that does not tie the user to a
gadget that is pinned to the wall. However, despite this change, it continued functioning
as a telephone would. The next stage of its development saw the integration of a texting
feature, introduced in 1992 and came into full maturity in 1997, as the world discovered
how communication can be made more personal and immediate. The smartphones, then
cane trumping all older phone models in favor of a multitasking gadget that appropriates some
of the computer's functions. The history of the cell phone is a good example of
the idea of product obsolescence keeps giving rise to innovations that have increasing
uses to the consumers.

Some trends seek innovate lifestyles and find practical ways to solve issues and
improve our well-being. It could be a response to the problem that have confronted
groups/societies

DIFFERENCE BEETWEEN A TREND AND A

FAD

CATEGORIES FAD TREND

NOTION OF CHANGE THE NEW THINGS THAT WE
CURRENTLY DO FADES
WHEN THE PERCEPTIONS
OF NOVELTY IS GONE
BEHAVIOUR INTENSE
EFFECTS COOLNESS ME TOO
MENTALITY STARTS
WITH TECHNOLOGY
TIME AND NATURE OF APPEARS SUDDENLY,
GROWTH ENORMOUSLY POPULAR,
SUDDENLY DISAPPEARS
UNEXPLAINABLE
GROWTH
SCOPE AND STAYS WITHIN ONE
LIMITATIONS COMPANY, SINGLE
BRAND, LIMITED BRAND
EXAMPLES i-PAD, KALYESERYE, PET
ROCK, FRIENDSTER,
THE WAY WE DO THINGS
SUSTAINED BEHAVIOUR
THAT TURNS INTO
LIFESTYLE, MINDSET
AND VALUES
MEETS NEEDS, SOLVE
PROBLEMS AND ISSUES
APPEARS SUDDENL.
ENORMOUSLY POPULAR
DOES NOT DISAPPEAR
GET STRONGER OVER
TIME, STICKS AROUND
CAN CROSS OVER MANY
COMPANIES,
ENCOMPASSES ENTIRE
AREAS OF
TECHNOLOGIES
GADGET, TELESERYE.
PETS, SOCIAL
 TROLL DOLL, BUCKET NETWORKING SITE,
CHALLENGE DOLLS, SOCIAL
ADVOCACIES

FACTORS SHAPING TRENDS

The following are just some of the factors that shape a trend:
1. HUMAN NEEDS
2. HISTORICAL FORCES
3. GLOBALIZATION
4. DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY AND SOCIAL MEDIA

LESSON 2: MEGA TRENDS AND GAME CHANGERS

Bob Johansen of the Institute for the Future (IFTF), a Silicon Valley-based
think-tank, devotes much of his work to developing a 10-year forecast based on
emerging social, economic, political, and technological trends.
Johansen says that "it's a VUCA world" out there. VUCA stands for volatility,
uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. These are the characteristics that mark
nations as well as the global order in a future the only thing certain is uncertainty.
Of the four characteristics, the first two-volatility and uncertainty prompt the
world leaders to worry yet motivated to grapple with the unknown to make it less
volatile and less uncertain. Complexity and ambiguity are also characteristics that
can be tamed with knowledge, skills, and the right attitude.
In a VUCA world, those who survive and thrive are not the smart and moneyed
but those who are adaptable, derive lessons from experience, and develop adaptive
strategies and innovative systems within which they work and live. Johansen himself
has put forward an antidote to VUCA, which is also called VUCA: vision, understanding,
clarity, and agility.
Johansen sees vision as being able to plan ahead by making sense of what
is happening right now and then charting the future that must be achieved
Understanding is grasping the situation and all relevant factors, including and most
importantly the history, that undergird the situation. Clarity pertains to discerning
the data that is important and relevant to use. Agility is the capacity to adjust,
innovate, and think of better systems to replace old and outmoded ways of doing.

Moody (2005) sees megatrend as always the “SCALE” of the global, emerging, as
“macroeconomic, and geostrategic forces that are shaping our world and our collective futures
in profound ways “. These forces create implications, that are arranging and varied, bringing
with them both risks and opportunities.
Most of the megatrends can be clustered under these six categories:
1. Shifts in human densities and movements
2. Changes in economic systems
3. Changes in the political structures and the rise of social movements
4. Advancements in science and technology
5. Developments in the socio-cultural landscape
6. Changes in the Earth’s geology and ecosystem
Megatrends allow huge organizations (such as governments, UN, and non-governmental
organizations, business sectors) to chart their strategies, shaping their policies, optimize
opportunities and mitigate risks. Take note that there are interconnections, intersections and
overlaps that can be happened between six categories.
GAME CHANGERS
Game changers are conscious acts of humans to direct the course of megatrend. They can be
people, organizations, or entities that see a new way to turn the course in favor of growth and
development. GAME CHANGERS ARE ALWAYS TRANSFORMATIONAL.

WEEK 1

Name:_____________________________________________________________
Date:______________
Teacher: LAUREANO R. FERANIL

TASK 1 ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

DIFFERENTIATE FADS AND TRENDS
THING/BEHAVIORS TREND OR FAD? EXPLANATION
HUMAN NEEDS

HISTORICAL FORCES

GLOBALIZATION

DIGITAL CONNECTIVITY AND

SOCIAL MEDIA

TASK 2.
Creating A Fad: Draw an important product or item you regularly use inside the box below. Add an
extra feature to this item that you think could turn into fad. Provide a brief explanation of the
innovation that you have made.
 Week 2
TASK 3 Identification TREND or FAD: identify the following if it is a trend or fad. Provide a brief
explanation of your answer.
THING/BEHAVIORS TREND or FAD? EXPLANATION
Skinny jeans

Crocs shoes

Comics

Twerk Dance

SMS or Texting

Game Shows

Fliptop Lines

Drinking Coffee

Computer Games

Pop Songs
 SOURCE:
TRENDS, NETWORKS, AND CRITICAL THINKING -Vibal Publishing House

Prepared and Compiled by:

LAUREANO R. FERANIL
Teacher

Approved by:

ROMALYN V. CABABAT Noted

SCHOOL PRINCIPAL
LEA S. LONTOC
Ed.D
President/Director