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

**TRENDS, NETWORKS, AND CRITICAL THINKING IN THE 21^ST^ CENTURY** **WEEK 1 LECTURE** **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...

**TRENDS, NETWORKS, AND CRITICAL THINKING IN THE 21^ST^ CENTURY** **WEEK 1 LECTURE** **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. 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. 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. How does a trend differ from a fad? 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 changes as it continues to grow. 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. **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.