Trends, Networks and

Critical Thinking in the

21st Century
 TREND

• A trend is a general direction into which something is

changing, developing, or veering toward.

• A pattern of gradual change in a condition, output,

or process, or an average or general tendency of a
series of data points to move in a certain direction
over time, represented by a line or curve on a
graph.
 MEGA TREND

• Megatrends events that occur over a longer

period of time and of which we can be sure
about, influencing all the aspects of life. These
events mostly occur as a reaction to the
behavior and activities done by people in the
last century but also more recently. Examples of
these trends are demographic changes,
urbanization, climate change, advance in
technology and so on.
 MACRO TREND
• Macro-trends are the children of megatrends. They are more
numerous and all of them related to the “profession” of their
parents. As megatrends are covering a very large area, macro-
trends tend to focus on certain parts of the bigger picture.

• Example would be the megatrend “advances in technology”

which comes with Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Smart Homes,
Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and many more.
Analysing macro-trends is done by looking at certain regions and
more specific target audiences.
 MICRO-TRENDS
• are the “nephews” of megatrends and “children” of Macro-trends. They are
the most active, diverse and appearing very fast one after another. The list
of micro-trends is the most lengthy and diverse, and that’s because they are
the “solutions” that directly address to consumers. These micro-trends can
also be segmented into categories such as marketing & media innovations,
new technologies, service innovations, innovative business models,
international start-ups, and many others.
• Example of micro trend was Facebook when it first appeared as a social-
media platform. It was quite a niche service used only by a group of
students, which later ended up by being a key driver to the entire social-
media movement. More micro-trends can be found
 TREND SPOTTING

• Is attempting to see the future in the

present.
Being able to predict a trend is a
valued skill for the global citizen.

• Trend spotting is sometimes called cool-

hunting and trend analysis.
 TREND ANALYSIS

•is the widespread practice of

collecting information and
attempting to spot a pattern,
or trend, in the information.
 TREND SPOTTER

• a person who notices and

reports on new fashions, ideas,
or activities that are becoming
popular.
 ELEMENTS AND CHARACTERISTICS
OF TREND
•Duration of time
•Acceptability
•Cultural Basis
•Transitory Increase or decrease
 DURATION OF TIME

•The lifespan of products or ideas that

become trends do not disappear
quickly. Trends have long staying
power and enjoy a long period of
popularity.
 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.
 TRANSITORY INCREASE OR
DECREASE
•A trend shows a transitory
increase or decrease of a
particular idea, event or
phenomenon.
EXAMPLES OF TRENDS
 FAD

• A fad, trend, or craze is any form

of collective behavior that develops
within a culture, a generation or social
group in which a group of people
enthusiastically follow an impulse for a
finite period.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fad
• Fads include
diets, clothing, hairstyles, toys, and more. Some
popular fads throughout history are toys such
as yo-yos, hula hoops, and fad dances such as
the Macarena
CLOTHING
HAIR STYLE