Trends, Networks, and Critical
Thinking in the 21st Century
Culture
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CHRISTIAN ECCLESIASTICAL SCHOOL
PRELIM MODULE
TRENDS, NETWORKS, and CRITICAL THINKING in the 21st CENTURY CULTURE
PREPARED BY: EVANGELINE P. BERNABE
Grade: 12
Semester: 1st
Subject Title: Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21 st Century Culture
No. of Hours: 80 hours
Subject Description: The course provides opportunities for students to discover patterns and extract meanings from
emerging trends. It aids in developing their critical and creative thinking skills – essential tools for decision making
and understanding “ethics of care”, Global trends in the 21 st century are examined and are either accepted or
rejected on a sound set of criteria. Students will be asked to create and analyze scenarios that will challenge them to
(1) formulate their stances on issues or concerns; (2) propose interventions and; (3) formulate alternative futures.
The students will realize the interconnections between their neural connections and social realities.
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)
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, 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
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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.
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