PURPOSE: This research guide has been designed to help you complete your research assignment. 

Trend Vs Fad

     One common question is the difference between a fad and a trend. Fads are short-lived. Think Pokemon, beanie babies, pet rocks, Rubik's Cube. Fads follow a classic cycle: insider discovery, followed by media ballyhoo, followed by mainstream embrace.

     Trends, on the other hand, have staying power. A trend has a solid foundation that supports its growth; fad does not. Trends take longer to build and their effects may be felt for years, even decades. Trends have deeper cultural roots than fads. Don't confuse real trends with what's simply trendy. Trends are long-term economic, sociological, anthropological changes in the way people behave or believe.

     To identify a Trend, you may want to examine four basic trend criteria :
1) Demographics
2) Values/Attitudes
3) Lifestyle
4) Technology/marketing

     For example, take the topic of casual attire. Casual attire is a trend driven by
1) demographics (e.g., half the population is overweight, and casual attire is more forgiving than tailored clothes), 2) shifting values/attitudes (for most Americans, comfort now takes precedence over fashion or propriety when it comes to apparel),
3) lifestyle (from the home to the workplace, informality is the rule, California weather)
4) marketing/technology (new products, new technology development means it is most likely to be a trend)
***Remember that the trend is casual attire; the fads that serve as clues to the trend are faux bomber jackets, Ugg boots and baggy jeans.

LIBRARY RESEARCH
STEP 1: Find a topic in InfoTrac:Onefile
To find an possible topics, use InfoTrac:Onefile. Open InfoTrac:Onefile, change the search method from subject search to BASIC SEARCH.  Type in the keywords "Trend Fad ". You will be able to read several articles on the differences between Fads and Trends.

STEP 2: Find a topic in reference book titled, American Decades 1990-1990.
Call number Ref E 169.12 A419, page 333. Look up the chapter titled "Lifestyles and Trends".

STEP 3: Use CQ Researcher.  You may begin by typing in the phrase "Trends" or "Society Trends". CQ Researcher will give you  a list of possible topics such as eating disorders, gene therapy, surrogate mothers.  It is up to you to determine if this is a fad or a trend.

The following is a list of broad topics. You must narrow these topics down. Then determine if it is a trend or fad.
Alternative energy
Alternative medicine
Family trends ( narrow to stepfamilies, etc.)
Online dating
Housing trends
Cosmetic surgery, skin care, etc.
Organic foods
Spirituality
Religion
Healthcare
Recreation and Leisure
Food/beverages
Sports/fitness
Drugs, lifestyle drugs
Sexuality in adolescence