FADS vs TRENDS

GERALD P. SIOQUIM
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.
Trend
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.
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.
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.”
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, 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.

Trend
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.
 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.
v hula hoop
v yo-yo
v virtual pets
v Pokémon Go
v Loomband
v Candy Crush App
v iPod
v Kalyeserye
v pet rock
v Friendster
v troll doll
v bucket challenge
v mannequin challenge
v “Gangnam Style” song
v Tamagochi pets
v 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.
 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
How does a changes as it continues to grow.
trend differ
from a fad? 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
 CATEGORIES FAD TREND
The table Notions of
Change
• the new things that we
currently do fade when
• the way we do things

below the perception of novelty

is gone

summarizes the Behavior • intense • sustained behavior that turns

into lifestyle, mindset, and

distinction Effects • coolness

values
• meets needs, solves problems

between a fad •
•
me-too mentality
starts with technology
and issues

and a trend Time

Nature
and
of
•
•
appears suddenly
enormously popular
•
•
appears suddenly
enormously popular

according to Growth •
•
suddenly disappears
unexplainable growth
•
•
does not disappear
gets stronger over time

Arzadon et.al.
• sticks around
Scope and • stays within one company • can across over many
Limitations
(2018).
• single brand/limited companies
brands • encompasses entire areas of
technologies
 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. (Urgel, 2017)
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. (Urgel, 2017)
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.
The End