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

I. DEFINITION OF A TREND  TREND IS DEFINED IN VARIOUS WAYS: a. In the field of arts, fashion, and music, it is a prevailing style or preference such as realism movement in art, emergence of the miniskirt, and popularity of jazz music. b. In economics, it is a general movement registering statistical changes for a long period such as the increasing cost of living and rate of unemployment. c. In politics, it refers 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. d. In sports (wearable devices that monitor training performance) e. Food (rise of oatmeal products, inclusion of moringa or malunggay in food products) f. Cosmetics (whitening supplements) g. Travel (paperless tickets and online check – in) h. Manufacturing (3 – D printing) i. Environmental management (home solar electric system)  A trend is a pattern of behavior demonstrated by a big number of people within a particular period.  Trends can also refer to movements, ideologies, concepts, beliefs, and more. SPOTTING A TREND  Someone or something starts or causes as 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 snowballing 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.  According to futurists (a futurist is one who studies and predicts the future, especially on the basis of current trends) 1  Trendspotting refers to “the study of trends and the way they develop and affect society,” whereas a cool – hunting 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.” Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st Century Culture _______________________________________________________________________________________  Cool – hunting can be understood as looking for things that are going to be popular, while trendspotting is looking for future trends, generally including those that are less or not obvious, that ultimately affect society and the way people live. Trendspotting requires more analysis. For example, discovering what accessories will hit the fashion markets in the next season is cool – hunting, as well as a record label producer looking for the next singing sensation.  Trendspotting seeks broader subjects that lead to changes in human perception, say, in clothing and music imagine how the marketers of the denim jeans, notably Levi’s positioned denim jeans from being a work wear to being quality wear that exudes individuality and informality. Soon, the denim jeans became ubiquitous in every country and a must – have. Think of composers and performers of pop music that help define the taste of a generation of listeners, possibly touching emotions and upholding attitudes. Original Filipino Music (OPM), which started in the late 1970’s, provided songs with a uniquely Filipino pop feel different from the previous colonially influenced songs and art songs. Trendspotting is the basis for trend analysis, which has applications in several fields. CHARACTERISTICS THAT A TRENDSPOTTER SHOULD POSSES, BASED AND ADAPTED FROM REHN AND LINDKVIST (2013) 1. ADOPT A BEGINNER’S MIND – know how to unlearn things. With a beginners mind, you can see things in a new light, as if everything is new and strange; thus you will be able to detect even small changes and shifts that field experts tend to ignore. 2. KNOW WHY AND WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR – ascertain first the reason why you are looking for trends. Only then can you focus on what kinds of trends to spot and how to specifically look for them. The reasons of a businessman are different from those of an enthusiast or a traveler or a writer. 3. MOVE AND SEARCH IN MANY PLACES – look beyond what and where others are looking for and searching at. Dare to look for something different and do not remain in your comfort zones. As an analogy, instead of going where most do not go to or even notice. When you are led to the mostly used hashtag, for example, you are merely cool – hunting. Learn to take note what is happening now to imagine and search what will be happening in the future. 4. BEWARE OF THE OBVIOUS – do not join the bandwagon of the obvious – the flashy things (the peacock). Remember that if something is easy to spot, everyone most likely sees it, too. Things that are less visible (the pigeons) effect changes in culture and society. Just think about how the mundane plastic chairs (monoblock chairs) influenced how people gather and how ubiquitous they have been. 5. NEVER JUDGE SOMETHING A GOOD OR BAD – set aside your biases and be objective in looking for trends. You may not like a topic, but you have to pursue knowing more of it if you are to be an effective trendspotter. Pay attention to anything related to it and be critical, too. For example, some may find internet memes as unattractive, tasteless, or ridiculous, but their mere presence and popularity speak a ton about a kind of Internet user that finds more sense of the world through visual culture. 6. BE SENSITIVE IN LOOKING FOR SIGNALS – study how trends gain momentum. Not all things new and novel can become a trend, but they sometimes do. Taking note the upsurge and downturn of phenomena will help you to expect or pick weak signals that become strong. 2 7. LOOK FOR SHIFTS RATHER THAN NOVELTIES – observe for changes in how things are done of in people’s behaviors when something new is introduced. Do not delve on the novelty of a gadget , for example, per se. an undergoing shift is a good sign of developing trend. At first, the remote – controlled drone was seen as a fad with many enthusiasts purchasing one. Then we see drones being used in filmmaking, shooting documentaries, news reporting, taking photographs, and even in delivering packages. In photography, the use of drones has given us new perspectives in terms of seeing things, ushering in a bigger and better understanding or view of the Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st Century Culture __________________________________________________________________________________________ world, literally and figuratively. Also included in this particular characteristic is the importance of taking note of what people actually do in contrast with what they say they do. 8. SPOT FOR COMBINATIONS OF THINGS – do not think of trends as a singular evolution or development of things. They come as a combination of shifts or individual spots. For example, the case by which we can use social media today has been made possible due to a combination of the following: internet connection, smartphone technology, apps development, globalization, algorithms, and emergence of netizens, to name a few. 9. FIND THE REASON FOR SOMETHING – however difficult this may be, seek logical explanations and causes for everything. By understanding the reasons behind things, behaviors, changes, and shifts, you can get a better understanding of an emerging trend. Merely looking at the surface is not enough. Considering something as inexplicable is not enough as well. NOTA BENE: By spotting a trend, you can think of ways to maintain your lead in your field of specialization, detect new opportunities to grab, and “invent” a future life for you, your family, and your close friends. TREND VERSUS FAD (DISTINGUISH) 1. TREND lasts for a longer period of time than a FAD. It may take years before a TREND slows down, while it only takes a few weeks or months for a FAD to stay. Thus, a FAD is a temporary or short – lived pattern of group behavior. For instance, the Beatlemania in the 1960s and the hippie TRENDS lasted for decades whereas the FAD of the song “Gangnam Style” was short – lived. 2. A TREND has a record of occurrence in the past and might continue to the present, something which is unseen in a FAD. It leaves a long, significant mark in history and could go on to the present. For instance the rise of One Direction ushered back the boy band trend in music, which recurs intermittently since the 1960s. The “Trumpets” dance challenge and the mannequin challenge which went viral on television and social media were FADS that quickly faded away. NOTA BENE: Trends and Fads can happen in areas of life where change or transformation continuously occurs. This means that while you are alive, you will encounter and experience various trends and fads. ELEMENTS OR COMPONENTS OF A TREND (NPLCC) 1. NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS  A trend may be started by an individual but the number of people who follow it becomes bigger as time goes by. The group grows into a community which, not long after, swells into national and international societies.  The prevailing fashion of a period, for example, follows what celebrities are wearing or what fashion designers offer.  People often copy the trendsetters and so a new fashion trend develops.  In the recent century, styles of clothing are usually distinguished by decades. 2. PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR 3  A trend is formed from repetitive actions of people.  The simple act of taking a selfie has now become a cultural trend. It is almost impossible not to see someone taking a selfie in any place – be it in a tourist spot, in a restaurant, in a hotel lobby, beside a movie poster in a cinema, in a concert hall, and at an event, among others. Before smartphones and portable digital cameras, pictures or portraits were taken by another person. The selfie phenomenon enabled people to construct themselves visually and present it to the public by putting it on social media. Others view the taking of selfies with disdain as a symbol of narcissism and superficiality, while others consider it as an act of self – exploration and a gauge for acceptance. Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21st Century Culture __________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. LONG PERIOD OF TIME  A trend has a long time frame, sometimes running for decades.  A trend may experience some ups and downs in popularity, may fade away, and may recur. For many decades, the telephone was the main line of voice communication. It revolutionized modern living and had great impacts socially, both positive and negative. Soon, it was overtaken by the popularity of mobile phones in the late 1990s, which is portable and has the text messaging feature.  The newer technologies allowed smartphones to include many applications and Internet connectivity. Although telephones are still present in homes and offices, smartphones clearly have gotten ahead in functionality and usage. 4. CAUSE  A trend has a starting point which can be an idea, technology, event, or person.  Portable audio players were popularized when Walkman was introduced in the 1980s, allowing people to listen to recorded music (cassette tapes) through headphones or earphones. Later, it would evolve in the form of a portable CD player.  Then came another revolutionary trend with the advent of digital audio players where the music playlist could be saved on to the device or be downloaded online.  Now, mobile phones and smartphones also function as a portable music player. The culture of portable music has come a long way, from the invention of the transistor radio, and is still evolving depending on new emerging technologies. 5. CONSEQUENCE  A trend makes considerable influence or impact. Social networking has become an encompassing trend that lends to influence behaviors of online users.  With the popularity of smartphones, users began subscribing to various social networking portals which enable them to post activity statuses and photos, and even connect with celebrities.  People could now air their opinions on diverse matters and say almost anything instantly.  Social networking users have reached billions. CHARACTERISTICS OF TRENDS  Rehn and Lindkvist (2013) mention of a so – called hierarchy of trends, which explains why trends seem to have varying reach, effects, and influences on people.  This hierarchy is a representation of the scale of the development of a trend.  MICROTRENDS – are “little things that happen all around us all the time, the tiny shifts that occur in everything from clothes we wear and the snacks we eat to the way we work, play, and love.” These trends happen right now and are outright observable. For others, microtrends are synonymous with fads. The importance of microtrends is that they offer a glimpse about the future through the clues they posses