Defining trend

 A trend is a pattern of group behavior that lasts for a
long period of time.
 It can affect your life and shape your future.
 Sociologists view trend as a collective behavior or
mass involvement which is acceptable to society and
shows a “line of historical continuity” as it can be
downplayed today but can resurface sometime in the
future.

The tight pants, for instance, was the trend
toward the end of the 1960s, after which, the
bell-bottom pants relegated the former to the
side.
Nowadays, tight pants have made a comeback,
especially in the form of skinny jeans

Spotting a Trend
 Someone or something starts or causes as trend.
 Trendsetter is a person who starts a trend.
 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.”

 Futurist is one who studies and predicts the future,
especially on the basis of current trends.
 Trendspotting refers to “the study of trends and the
way they develop and affect society.”
 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.” 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
coolhunting, as well as a record label producer
looking for the next singing sensation.
 Trendspotting is the basis for trend analysis, which
has applications in several fields

 Below are the characteristics that a trend spotter should
possess, based and adapted from Rehn and Lindkvist
(2013).
1. Adopt a beginner’s mind – Know how to unlearn things.
With a beginner’s 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.
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.
5. Never judge something as 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.

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.
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. 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
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.

 Trend and fad are both group patterns of behavior
but not without differences.
 A 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.
 The Beatlemania in the 1960s and the hippie
trends.

 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.
 The rise of One Direction ushered back the boy
band trend in music, which recurs intermittently
since the 1960’s.
 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 of a trend
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.
2. Pattern of behavior – A trend is formed from repetitive
actions of people. The simple act of taking a selfie has
now become a cultural trend. The selfle phenomenon
enabled people to construct themselves visually and
present it to the public by putting it on social media.

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.
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
19803, allowing people to listen to recorded music
(cassette tapes) through headphones or earphones.
5. Consequence – A trend makes considerable influence or
impact. Social networking has become an encompassing
trend that tends to influence behaviors of online users.

 Trends are difficult to study and analyze. Studying
them is like predicting the future and determining
what changes may possibly last and thus have wide
effects on society and the people.
 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.

 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.
 Macrotrends, on the other hand, are “aggregated
microtrends or more sweeping changes that are affecting
society.” They provide major changes that are perceptible in
the societal level for a longer period. These are more stable
than microtrends, which can quickly fizzle out.

 Megatrends are “macrotrends that have grown up and
moved out. They are big and bold, and affect the lives
of great swathes of the human race.” They can last for
decades and are “so pervasive as to be generally
known.” Because of this condition, megatrends are
regarded as so obvious and evident. In other words,
they have become the prevailing condition that has
become too normal.
 Gigatrends are “trends that are so general that they
affect most areas of human life or, at least, more than
one aspect of life or more than one industry.”
Gigatrends are usually identified to define an era.

 To illustrate this hierarchy of trends, study the
following examples.
 Popular games and apps on smartphones are examples
of microtrends.
 One game can create a mania that later wanes to give
way to another.
 A few games have attained a higher level in the trend’s
hierarchy, like Super Mario, which actually started in
the 1980s but has resurfaced through different gaming
platforms.
 For some, this particular game is a representation of an
era to which they belong.

 Social media can be considered as a macrotrend, but
it can arguably turn into a megatrend considering how
common it is nowadays.
 The continuous development of platforms and apps
made the concept of social media pervasive across
computer and smartphone users, while social media
would not have been a trend without the overall
influence of the Internet it has, nonetheless, given
many people a venue to be heard and to exchange
thoughts, opinions, and ideas.

Smartphones can be considered a megatrend (if
not bordering on being a gigatrend itself).
They have affected many lives and industries. In
fact, many check their smart phones first thing
in the morning to read text or private messages,
surf the net, and so on.

 Internet connection is now considered a gigatrend
as its functions are now tied up to the everyday
activities of people all around the world.
 It has become too normal such that it is now the
base of several vital activities like banking,
business, online communication, information
gathering and dissemination, research,
entertainment, transactions, gaming, shopping, and
more.

 It was mentioned earlier that trends are formed from the
combination of things.
 Thus, a trend has constituent parts or portions that are
interrelated.
 Their confluence, as well as how the people adopt them,
makes the trend viable, especially the megatrends and
gigatrends.
 Take for example the Japanese animation (anime) trend that
is associated with several generations spanning decades.
 In retrospect, the popularity of anime was brought about by a
number of developments such as the ones shown below.

 Another example is the visual culture we experience
today.
 It was developed from various trends-digital camera,
smartphone, Internet, Wi-Fi technology, social
media, mobile apps, computer, fashion, art,
photography, to name a few.
 Internet memes, infographics, and shareable videos
seemed to be a microtrend only, but they eventually
became a mainstay in disseminating information.

 Remember that microtrends can become
macrotrends if they affect more lives and
societies.
 Then macrotrends can become a megatrend if it
can affect a much larger group for a longer period
like a decade.
 Megatrends can become gigatrends if they have
ever-lasting effects and influences.
 Therefore, it is evident that a larger thing (the
whole) consists of smaller things or parts.

Identifying Emerging Pattern
 A pattern is a design, shape, form or
configurations that emerges from repetitious
appearance of lines, curves, and behavior.
 In the study of trends, repetitive behavior that
gives rise that gives rise to an emerging pattern is
the main interest.

The tools that a trend spotter should find handy to use are categorized
into four activities.
1. Documentation –This means being able to record your observations
which you consider related to any trend. The primary tools for
documentation, however simple, are notebook and pen.
2. Archive or Memory – This means being able to easily retrieve any
documentation you have kept. Nowadays, the most space-saving
way of archiving is turning the physical into digital.
3. Analysis -This is the stage where examination and combination
happens. Looking for patterns on prospective trends can be achieved
through these methods: brainstorming, grouping, and crafting
combinations.
4. Presentation – This is representing your findings for easy
understanding as a way of analysis. You can represent your findings
through, among others, a mood board and a storyboard.

Differentiating Relationships between
Causes and Consequences
 A cause refers to an agent that brings about a result
or a consequence.
 A consequence is always traceable to a cause
which can be a person, thing, principle, motive, act,
or event. There is no cause without a consequence
and vice versa.

Strategic Analysis and Intuitive Thinking
 Strategic Analysis is the process of examining,
using one’s rationality or reason, the
organization’s surroundings and resources, and
how they relate to each other to formulate a
strategy to meet objectives and improve
performance.
 It is the understanding of an organization’s
external and internal environments to create a
strategy for better utilization of resources in the
pursuit of the organization’s objectives and
priorities.

 Intuitive thinking is sensing or knowing without
using rational processes such as reading facts and
instructions.
 According to the dictionary, intuition is something
that is known or understood without proof or
evidence.
 Good intuition results from long years of knowledge
and experience which enable you to comprehend
how people think, act and react, perceive and
interpret, and interact with one another.

 Analytical Tools
 Facility in Strategic Analysis - Strategic analysis is
commonly applied through a process called
strategic planning.

Strategic planning may be divided into three phases
 Phase I: Establishing the identity of the organization.
 This covers the questions who or what the
organization is, where it wants to be, and where it is
now.
 It concerns the organization’s core values, mission
and vision, objectives or strategic priorities, members
and stakeholders, and partners and competitors.
 Both the internal and external environments are taken
into consideration.

 Phase II: Developing and implementing an action
plan or strategy to attain priorities.
 This answers the question, “How will the
organization get to where it wants to go?”
 It concerns the goals and outcomes, structural and
financial changes, and other initiatives of the
organization.

 Phase III: Evaluating how the organization
manages its actions toward its priorities.
 The question raised here is how well the
organization knows its performance.
 This needs performance standards and
measurements or yardsticks such as monthly or
annual reports.

SWOT Analysis is applied particularly in phase I where
situational seaming is undertaken.
 Strengths –These are the internal attributes of the
organization that can contribute to the attainment of its
objectives and priorities.
 Weaknesses – These are the internal attributes of the
organization that can obstruct the attainment of its
objectives and priorities
 Opportunities – These are external factors that can
contribute to the attainment of its objectives and
priorities.
 Threats –There are external factors that can obstruct the
attainment of the organization’s objectives and priorities.

PEST Analysis surveys the bigger environment where
the organization operates.
 It scans the Political, Economic, Sociocultural, and
Technological factors in the environment affecting
the existence of the organization.
 For a business enterprise, PEST Analysis is
conducted to evaluate its standing in the market,
whether it experiences growth or decline and what
direction the business is heading to

Positive and Negative Impacts of
Globalization
 One outstanding phenomenon from which emanated
a number of global networks is globalization, a
concept given various meanings and which spans
variegated dimensions.
 It comes from the word globalize which refers to the
rise of global networks of economic systems.
 Generally, globalization is a process involving the
interconnections, diffusion, and exchange of goods
(production), services (technology), ideas
(communication), and people.

social theorist Paul James (2014) identified four different
forms of globalization:
1. embodied globalization, which refers to the movement
or migration of people;
2. agency-extended globalization, which deals with the
dispersion and exchange of agents or representatives of
various institutions, polities, and organizations;
3. object extended globalization, which involves the
mobility of goods, commodities, and other objects of
exchange such as machinery, money, and food items;
and
4. disembodied globalization which covers the diffusion of
ideas, knowledge, and information such as the dos and
don’ts of dating, Confucian philosophy, and good study
habits across the world

 Globalization is multidimensional. However, due
to its complex nature, discussions, writings, and
research usually focus on a single dimension or
component of globalization.
 These dimensions mirror the comprehensive
reach and effects of globalization.

 Economic globalization. This refers primarily to
international business which covers all contracts and
negotiations concerning sales, investments,
mobilization, and related transactions undertaken
by two or more regions, countries, and nations
outside their political territories.
 These negotiations involve economic resources,
including human power and capital necessary for
the production of goods for global consumption and
maintenance of services such as banking, insurance,
engineering, construction, information technology,
and other profitable ventures.

 The forerunners of economic globalization are the
multinational companies (MNCs) or transnational
companies which have branches in two or more
countries.
 Popular MNCs include sportswear manufacturers such as
Nike, Adidas, and Reebok;
 beverage companies such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi;
 vehicle manufacturers such as Toyota, Ford, and
Mitsubishi;
 fast-food chains such as McDonalds, Kentucky Fried
Chicken, and Jollibee; fuel companies such as Exxon
Mobil, Chevron, and Shell; and
 business outsourcing companies such as WNS Global,
Teletech, and Convergys.

 Sociocultural globalization. This dimension has two
components: cultural globalization and social
globalization.
 Cultural globalization refers to the spread of ideas,
values, and meanings across countries, broadening
and increasing social relations.
 It paves the way for the creation of shared norms as
well as of broader and deeper knowledge of other
cultural identities.
 This facilitates increased interrelation and
interconnection among variegated cultures and
populations and a better appreciation for one
another.

 Social globalization, the second component,
covers the diffusion of beliefs, practices, and issues
concerning population growth, media,
urbanization, tourism, education, and sports that
also drive nations, institutions, and governments
to expand social relations.

 Political globalization. This involves institutions, public
policies, and practices that cut across national borders
to facilitate international agreements and transactions.
 Avenues of globalization such as the supranational
institutions in the EU, World Trade Organization
(WTO), and the International Criminal Court (ICC) have
either partially diminished the sovereignty or
perceived to have reduced the power and importance
of the nation-states which created them.
 As such, globalization is perceived to be a factor to the
erosion of some democratic structures.

 Natural environment globalization. This concerns the
environment where the interaction of living species
takes place.
 Many environmental problems such as water and air
pollution, overconsumption of fish and other marine
resources, and global warming need a global approach
in their solutions.
 The intense desire for high economic growth, foreign
capital, and technological advancement of many
countries has forced them to deregulate some of their
environment and resource-protection laws.
 This deregulation has proven to be detrimental to the
natural environment.

Climate Change and Global Warming
 Various kinds of networks are within you and around
you, stimulating and triggering your thoughts and
actions, influencing your attitudes and behavior, which in
turn affect the people around you, your environment,
and ultimately the world.
 Actions which transpire in the realm of local networks
can produce consequences that penetrate and affect
global networks.
 But it does not stop here. There is another kind of
network, a wider one, which your thoughts and actions
can reach and influence—the planetary networks.

 Planetary networks refer to the interconnections
and interrelations among the various elements in
the natural environment enveloping and affecting
Earth as well as elements beyond Earth’s surface.
 It includes the rain, the wind, the sun’s rays, gases,
and other climate-related elements.

 Planetary networks also cover natural resources
such as forests, mineral deposits, lakes, oceans,
hills, and mountains as well as the flora and
fauna and other living organisms which when
heavily exploited and exhausted shall cause
detrimental effects on Earth’s natural cycle and
functions.

 Of particular concern is the phenomenon called
global warming, which is the rising of global average
temperature of Earth’s surface due to the thinning of
the ozone layer in Earth’s stratosphere.
 Global warming is causing alterations in the climate
patterns and weather cycles of Earth

 Climate change refers to the major changes in the
climate that last for long periods of time, up to
decades or more.
 It is easy to relate that global warming causes
climate change.
 Weather is easier to forecast than climate

Defining trend

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