TRENDS, NETWORK AND CRITICAL

ST
THINKING FOR 21 CENTURY CULTURE
Why do we need to study trends networks and critical thinking in the 21st
century?
The course provides opportunities for students to discover patterns and
extract meanings from emerging trends. It aids in developing
their critical and creative thinking skills—essential tools for decision making
and understanding “ethics of care”.
 TRENDS, NETWORK AND CRITICAL
ST
THINKING FOR 21 CENTURY CULTURE
Trends, Networks and Critical Thinking (TNCT) Trends is general
direction in which something is developing or changing.
Network an arrangement of intersecting horizontal and vertical
lines.
Critical Thinking is the objective analysis and evaluation of an
issue in order to form a judgment
 TRENDS, NETWORK AND CRITICAL
THINKING FOR 21ST CENTURY CULTURE

UNDERSTANDING TRENDS
and FADS
TREND

❑IT IS BASICALLY A PATTERN OR A CONCEPTUALIZED

IDEA THAT HAS THE PROSPECT OF PROVIDING OR
HAVING A CONTINUING INFLUENCE FOR A LONGER
PERIOD OF TIME DUE TO ITS INCREASING AND
SUSTAINED PRESENCE AND EFFECT OR EVEN
DEMAND AMONG ITS CONSUMERS IN THE CASE OF
A PRODUCT
 TREND
A directed movement or behavior

Implies change: positive or negative, good or bad, stable or

erratic

It is unpredictable
FAD

 IT IS A SHORT-LIVED IDEA OR TEMPORARY EVENT (FLASH IN THE PAN)

BECAUSE THE POPULARITY AND RECEPTION OF THIS IDEA FADES
AWAY EASILY OVER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME
 WHEN A FAD REACHES A CERTAIN POINT, IT EVENTUALLY DECLINES
OR DISAPPEARS IN THE MARKET
 EXAMPLES: PARTICULAR COLOR OF PAINT, A NEW HAIRSTYLE OR
DANCE MOVES
 FAD
Highly interesting in a relatively short
period of time

Comes and goes, short-lived

 FAD
It helps to predict a trend

Example: Late ‘80s and Early ‘90s

Fad → Boom in the computer
industry

Trend → Taking computer-related

courses such as computer science or
information technology in the tertiary
education
 ELEMENTS & CHARACTERISTICS OF A
TREND
1. APPEAL
Degree of attraction
FAD TREND
✓ Easy to get ✓ Easy to get
✓ Makes people look or ✓ Makes people look or
feel better feel better
✓ Does not deviate ✓ Does not deviate
much from the general much from the general
norm or status quo norm or status quo
 ELEMENTS & CHARACTERISTICS OF A
TREND
2. RESULT
Impact
Ability to produce a sustainable movement
or change
FAD TREND
✓ Hyped or advertised ✓ Endures with or without
(usually by media) publicity
✓ Dependent on ✓ Continues for a long
marketing period of time with or
✓ People tend to forget without the aid of
about it advertisements
ELEMENTS & CHARACTERISTICS OF A
TREND

3. SCOPE
Extent of influence
FAD TREND
✓ Caters to and ✓ Caters to and
accepted by a limited accepted by a wide
group of people audience or a large
group of consumers
 ELEMENTS & CHARACTERISTICS OF A
TREND
4. SUPPORT
Structure that enables a fad or a trend
to be sustainable
FAD TREND
✓ Support is almost ✓ Supported by a number
inexistent and unclear of fads, existing trends
✓ Does not have a and prevalent socio-
formidable support economic, political and
system religio-cultural factors,
etc.
✓ Efforts are conducted to
bolster the longevity of
the lifeline of a desired
trend
 ELEMENTS & CHARACTERISTICS OF A
TREND
5. SUSTAINABILITY
Length of time of continuous existence
FAD TREND
✓ Relatively brief ✓ Long period of time
✓ Few weeks up to a ✓ Months and years
few months
ELEMENTS & CHARACTERISTICS OF A
TREND

6. VALUE
Utility or
FADusefulness TREND
✓ Limited only to areas ✓ Different areas which
where it is directly may or may not be
related related
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FAD AND TREND
1. Duration of Time
Note: but if a fad becomes a trend, it can remain popular for decades
(Crocs rubber clog footwear is a fad)
FAD TREND
1. Fads that run out 1. Trends last
2. Fads don’t stick around 2. A trend gets stronger overtime
3. It seems to appear suddenly, 3. Also appears suddenly and also
quickly become enormous becomes very popular but it
popular and disappears just as doesn’t disappear
suddenly as it came
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FAD AND TREND
2. Number of Industries affected
FAD TREND
1. It is confined to particular 1. It can have a long term
segments in society. influence on its particular
2. Usually stay within one industry market
2. Can cross over to many
industries

TREND FAD
Apple’s Ipod Parachute pants
Portable electronic Leg warmers
devices hairstyles
Laptops
Touchscreen
cellphones
Camera phones
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FAD AND TREND
3. Industry Acceptance
Investing in a fad item can be risky for companies known for setting trends. Smaller
companies often have the flexibility necessary to promote a faddish item, while
larger companies tend to wait until the initial smoke clears and a trend can be
determined. FAD TREND
How well industries accept them: How well industries accept them:
They are promoted by smaller If a company is known as trend sitter
companies, they need a quick money and it promotes a fad, its reputation will
that fads provide. Large companies be damaged.
don’t accept fads right away, they Large companies buy products in huge
cannot afford to be wrong numbers, they don’t want unsold
products staying on their shelves. So if a
fad becomes a trend then they will
show it in their stores

1. Hulahop can be called a greatest 1. Cellphones – they were designed to

fad of all time. In the late 1950’s 25
million hulahops were sold in just
four months but year later sales had
virtually stopped
2. Different versions of individual diet
plans and weight loss program.
be portable telephones but they
crossed over to the world of fashion,
wireless communication and now in
in photography.
2. Eating more healthy food like
organic fruits and vegetables and
moving away from processed foods
and high-carb food.
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FAD AND TREND
4. Consumer adoption and perception of overall quality

FAD TREND
1. Fad items are rarely expected to stand for 1. Trends tend to survive the decade in
a longer period of time which they were created.
2. Some fads that eventually lose following 2. Trends are items introduced in the market
are products of false advertising so they that have greater consumer adoption
eventually die after a few months or years due to their effectiveness.
Ex. Faddish exercise equipment that
reduce abdominal fat Ex. Core exercises and the reduction of
abdominal fat.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FAD AND TREND
5. Reason For Rise – (consumers’ needs vs.
emotional needs)

FAD
1. Fads are determined by an emotional
need to purchase based on publicity and
fervent product opinions.
2. The behavior will rise quickly and fall
relatively quickly once the perception of
novelty is gone.
TREND
1. Trends generally have identifiable and
explainable increase caused by
consumers’ needs and in consonance
with other consumer lifestyle trends.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FAD AND TREND
6. Incubation period and life span
FAD
1. Fad had usually a definite beginning
and end.
2. Fads increase, decrease and
eventually die out quickly.
TREND
1. Are often classified as short-term – 1 to
3 yrs, mid-term – 3 to 10 yrs, long-term –
10 to 50 yrs (Cornish 2004)
2. Trends develop slowly.
3. Trends take longer to build and their
effects may be felt for years and
sometimes even decades.

Example; the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Licensed Apparel

and toy sales started in 1989 with its licensed sales amounting to
USD 25 million. It steadily increased in 1990 and 1991 to USD 500
million and $1,9 billion respectively. But in 1993, it started to
decline with only USD 500 million licensed sales.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FAD AND TREND
7. Scope
FAD
1. Fad normally includes only a single brand or
product and has limited appeal outside of one
narrow consumer segment.
Emphasis on eating food with less fat and protein
TREND
1. Trend usually includes several brands that are
applicable to diverse consumers segments
2. A trend possesses some agility and consumers have
granted it permission to expand beyond its current
platform while maintaining authenticity.
Example; healthy eating has been important to a
certain part of the population for a long time
A more balance approached of lean protein, whole
grains and plenty of fruits and vegetables
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FAD AND TREND
8. Cultural Roots
FAD TRENDS

1. Fads have no cultural roots because fads cross 1. Trends have deeper cultural roots because trends do
borders easily. not cross borders as easily as fads do.
2. Trends have cultural attachments to the society in
1. Fads has no cultural connection with the people that’s which it is introduced.
why its popularity and acceptability is short-lived.
Example; pearl shake craze – became popular to the
Filipinos but it declined bec it lacks cultural grounding or
connections to the society in which it was introduced.
Other examples
FADS TRENDS
Crocs, blogs, Pokémon, tattoos, pet rocks, Apple’s ipod, Portable electronic device,
hula-hoops, parachutes pants bellbottom loptop, touchscreen cellphones, camera
and baggies, yoyo, jejemon phones

The adjective faddish comes from the

word fad, which was coined in the
1880's, either from fiddle-faddle or from
the Latin word for "stupid," fatuus.
 Trendspotting

Trendspotting is attempting to
see the future in the present
(Rehn and Lindkvist, 2013). Being
able to predict a trend is a
valued skill for the global citizen.
Trendspotting is sometimes
called cool-hunting and trend
analysis.
 Trend spotting is the identification of new trends or
attempting to see the future.
Trend analysis is the widespread practice of collecting
information and attempting to spot a pattern, or trend, in the
information.
 Trend spotter is a person who notices and reports on new
fashions, ideas, or activities that are becoming popular.

TREND IS EASY TO SPOT WHEN;

1.It comes from a fad
2. it stays long-term in the market
3. it provides solutions to peoples problem
4. it assesses a successful evolution of the product
Why should I spot trends?

It’s important to be on the lookout for the newest

trends so you can plan more effectively for the
future and introduce more successful initiatives to
your business. By focusing on what will happen
next, you can make more informed decisions in
less time, saving a lot of energy and money in the
long run.
CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF TRENDS
 Causes
A. Technology • Able to talk to our friends and relatives •
who are living far from us
• Learn new things and online courses
• The aviation technology helps us to
reach distant places
• Social Networking helps us find our
childhood friends, relatives, etc.
A. Education • (Mobile Learning) Demand for
efficient and quality learning
A. Social Media • A place to connect with your friends
• Opportunity for businesses
Consequences
Children get addicted to online
games
• Creating rivalry between best friends
and couples
• Aviation technology gives health
problems for their workers and
creating serious environmental threats
• Integration and connectivity
• Modular hence it is flexible
• Has clear outcome
• Cost= As it require power tools and
connectivity
• Helps hone networking skills
• Encourages freedom of self-express
• Cyberbullying
• Waste of time
• Connect with friends and family
• Reducing communication barriers
• Friends and relation
A. Fashion • Fashion changes occur
because of a mix of historical,
psychological and
sociological reasons
• Some of the more specific
fashion: musicians, movie
stars, politician and royalty,
movie shoes, books
A. Medicine • Rise in the number of people
aged 65+that are quite
literally clogging up hospitals
• A popularity huge for fitness
gadgets
• Fashionable discrimination
• Exaggerated/negative self-
image
• Particular teenagers
- Anorexia bulimia
- Desire for being appreciated
• Hospitals at home
• Monitor heart rate, alleviate
stress, increase office
productivity