Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking
in the 21st Century
Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking
in the 21st Century
Unit #1
DEFINITION OF A TREND
1. The process of identifying a
trend
2. Differentiating a trend from a fad
3. Elements of a trend
4. The characteristics of a trend
CHARACTERISTICS OF A TREND
INNOVATION
A trend should introduce change and something absolutely
new to a community (process of introducing something new
like ideas, devices, or methods).
CONSISTENCY
One thing after the other, people can still recognize that this
style or trend or culture or language is a trademark or a mark
of a country or a place. Identity has become a part of it.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A TREND
VERSATILITY
A trend always appreciated by people despite the difference
in culture, place and race. It is the quality
or a state of being versatile (able to do many things).
ELEMENTS OF A TREND
DURATION OF TIME
The lifespan of trends do not disappear quickly.
Trends have long staying power.
ACCEPTABILITY
Trends are popularly accepted by many industries
and people.
CULTURAL BASIS
A trend is rooted on the people’s cultural traditions,
beliefs, and values. A trend persists and continues
because people have seen it as part of a society’s
culture.
ELEMENTS OF A TREND
TRANSITORY INCREASE OR DECREASE
A trend shows a transitory increase or decrease of a
particular idea, event or phenomenon.
DRIVER, ENABLER, BLOCKER
Agents of (another) trend
ELEMENTS OF A TREND
DRIVERS, ENABLERS, BLOCKERS
Agents of (another) trend
A change driver is a significant disruptive force that is
present in all scenarios, although its impact may be
different in each scenario.
An enabler is one that allows another to achieve an
end (usually destructive).
Blockers are forces where there is intention and
agency at work to oppose a trend, actively seeking to
delay it, stop it, or turn it back in another direction.
TREND
- an emerging phenomenon that last for a
long period of time and transmit existing
ventures to the future generations.
- a general direction in which something is
developing or changing.
Social trends have been a part of life since
the beginning of time. Society reacts to
certain Stimuli, whether it is a type of music,
fashion or an activity. It’s the way people
embrace one another and interact with one
another.
People are obsessed with trends because
joining a trend means your part of a group;
you are in, you belong.
These trends are not always created by
the majority, but the majority of society
does typically follow.
A trend becomes a trend through a constant
cycle of innovation and emulation.
10 of the Top Current Trends on the Internet
1. The Selfie Movement
The front-facing cameras on our smartphones
changed the way we take pictures, and social
apps changed the way we share them.
Convenient to share selfies that help
countless photo editing apps available,
making it a breeze to enhance your snaps
before you
share them.
2. News Breaks on Social Media First
Traditional m edia is now considered slow. If you
want access to the Iatest news as fast as
possible, Facebook and Twitter are your best
options.
Social media has changed the way we consume
news and stay updated on what is happening
in real-time. Of course, the problem with
such quick breaking news is the issue on
fake news.
3. A Newfound Love for GIFs
The animated GIF is a
magnificent cross between an
image and a short
video without the sound.
The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF; /d¿zf/ JIF or
/gzf/ GHIF) is a bitmap image format
4. Hashtags (#)
Although Twitter was the original social network
to bring the hashtag to life, others quickly picked
up on the trend.
Hashtags can now be used on Instagram, Tumblr,
Facebook, and in all sorts of other corners of the
web. It's quickly grown to become the solution
fDr effectively categorizing content based on
specific themes or keywords to make search and
discovery a whole lot easier.
5. Memes, Memes, and More Memes
The internet is obsessed with sharing memes.
The viral power of ridiculous memes is
undeniable. We can't get enough of them,
and there are tons of meme generator tools
you can use to create your own and
contribute to whatever is most popular at the
moment.
6. Regular People Turned Internet Famous
It is obvious social media has opened new doors
for people to showcase their talents and attract
online fan bases.
For many now famous celebrities, starting out by
putting their stuff online was really the only option.
Today, all kinds of mainstream actors, musicians,
bands, comedians, and more owe their success to
the openness of the web, including major
entertainment-based social networks like Tiktok and
YouTube.
7. Cloud Streaming of Entertainment Media
CDs and DVDs is now obsolete because of unlimited
access to all our entertainment needs through
services like Youtube, Spotify and Netflix. There's no
need to have a hard copy or digitally downloaded
copy of everything when you can stream what you
want from the cloud for one small monthly
subscription fee.
Cloud streaming sure does solve the problem of
limited local storage, and it's one of the fastest
growing trends in media consumption today.
OYouTube
8. Oversharing on Social Media
Most of us recognize how bloated the social
networking experience has become, with
many sites and apps out there promoting
so
huge friend or follower numbers, constant
engagement, and never ending streams of
content sharing. Oversharing has become a
big turn off for many internet users, which i5
why apps like Tiktok and Instagram have
popped up to bring a more intimate and
minimalist experience.
9. Crypto-Currencies: More Modern Way to Create
and Exchange Value
Bitcoin—the decentralized currency
that
started turning a lot of heads in 2013 as more
people got involved with mining, trading,
spending
and it.
Bitcoin has its fair share of problems, given that it
is not overseen by any central authority, but
that has not stopped its growing popularity. As a
result, countless other crypto-currencies have
popped up all over the web, some which seem
almost too ridiculous to be real.
10. WiFi - Enabled Home Gadgets Appliances
As internet becomes more
mainstream, we're starting to see a lot more
gadgets and household objects come with
WiFi-enabled features. Someday, our entire
homes and cities could thrive on a connected
network where every device, machine, and
thing can communicate with one another to
perform and automate tasks.
FAD
- something that people are highly interested
in for a relatively short period of time.
- an intense and widely shared enthusiasm
for something, without much basis on its
significance or use
Fads are product that has little or no
use
but is characterized by a quick rise in
sales
and popularity followed by a quick decline.
This quick up and down is because
fad products usually do not satisfy
a strong consumer need.
Nevertheless, fad seldom completely die out,
with some hardcore followers remaining loyal.
Samples of Fad:
Fidget Spinners Fidget Spinners
Tamagochi
Trends are:
a. long in life span
b. built in time
c. rising slow in popularity
Fads are:
a. short in life span
b. emerge and go quickly
c. rising quickly in popularity
LOOM BANDS
IDENTIFYING A TREND
TREND ANALYSIS
widespread practice of collecting information and
attempting to spot a pattern, or trend, in the information.
TREND SPOTTING
identification of new trends or attempting to see the
future.
TREND SPOTTER
a person who notices and reports on new fashions,
ideas, or activities that are becoming popular.
