DIGOS CENTRAL ADVENTIST ACADEMY, INC.

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

GRADE XII

Name: _______________________________________ Date: _________________ Week/s: __1 ___

Topic: Megatrends and Game Changers

Fads come and go. Trends come and stay. To appreciate the emergence of fads, we have tackled products and how they come
to rise and disappear in the market. While fads experience a momentary gust of popularity, trends adapt to the environment by
employing various strategies. Because of this, global institutions, governments, and organizations employ the idea of a megatrend
because just seeing a trend is not enough. It has become essential to see the larger picture, so the society needs to grasp the ideas of a
megatrend and how trends emerge from it.
In this lesson, the concept of Megatrend will be discussed to understand more the long-term trends in society.

Megatrends
It is a large, social, economic, political, environmental or technological change that is slow to form. Once in place,
megatrends influence a wide range of activities, processes, and perception; both in government and in society, possibly for decades
(Saritas, 2011). They are the underlying forces that drive trends. It is long-term processes of transformation with a broad scope and a
huge impact. They are considered powerful factors in shaping future conditions (Frost and Sullivan, 2018). Megatrends are powerful
transformative forces that could change the global economy, business and society (Gujit, 2020). It has been changing the way we live
for centuries.
Megatrends differ from trends in three ways
1. Time horizon- It expands over decades.
2. Reach- It has comprehensive impact on all geographic regions and results in multidimensional transformations of all societal
subsystems such as political, societal, economical, technological, and environmental.
3. Intensity of Impact- Megatrends have a powerful and extensive impact on all types of actors: government, individuals and
organizations.

Categories of Megatrends
Moody (2005) sees megatrends as always in the scale of the global, emerging as “macroeconomic and geostrategic forces
that are shaping our world and our collective futures in profound ways”. These forces create implications that are far-ranging and
varied, bringing with them both risks and opportunities.
1. Shifts in Human Densities and Movements- This refers to changes in population sizes, migration, ethnic and racial compositions
of societies, birth rates, mortality and morbidity rates even geographic distribution of groups.

2. Changes in Economic Systems- This reflect changes in market behavior - in the manner of exchange of good and services between
low, middle, and high income - among regions and capital outflows - among nations and continents. The effect and impact of these
changes can be felt globally.

3. Changes in Political Structures and the Rise of Social Movements- This refers to the shifts in the power configurations among
nations and regions. It may also reflect in the conduct of governance and citizen representation. Examples of which could be changes
in the forms of government and new strategies of revolutionary movements, such as openness to options for negotiated peace
settlements instead of waging protracted guerilla wars.

4. Advancements in Science and Technology- It denotes research and development in various fields of the physical and natural
sciences, as well as new inventions, herald a new future that is more reliant to these advances.

5. Development in the Sociocultural Landscape- This could be shifts in the value systems or the emergence of new values and
social practices, thus leading towards a reorientation of the moral compass.

6. Changes in the Earth’s Geology and Ecosystems- This covers the environmental pressure caused by development, including fuel
emissions, loss of forests, the increasing impact of climate change manifested by the warning of the increased temperatures of oceans
and the atmosphere, even the rising sea level.

Example of Megatrends and Trends

Megatrend
Category Trend
Demographic Shifts Aging Population Rising healthcare expenditures

Scientific and Technological Development Privacy and Security Issues Growing role of wireless tracking

Changes in Political Conditions Participatory democracy Growing amount of fake news

Societal and Cultural Shifts Redefinition of family Increasement of single-headed households

Economic Dynamics Increase in global trade Reduction of production costs via

Gov’t Recognition No. 001 s. 2014 (Kindergarten) I Gov’t Recognition No. 018 s. 1989 (Elementary)
Gov’t Recognition No. 001 s. 2015 (Junior High School) I Gov’t Permit No. 062 s. 2020 (Senior High School)
Classification of Trends

• Megatrends- are events that occur over a longer period, and of which we can be sure about.
They have an influence on all the aspects of life.

• Macrotrends- are specific variations of megatrends. They describe partial trends that feature a
different degree of effectiveness.

• Microtrends- phenomena that are born in small communities with a clear identity, most often in
opposition to the mainstream in the long run, they may transform into more mass trends.

• Fads-opposite of trends. They only keep for a short period of time.

Game changers are conscious acts from humans to direct the course of a megatrend. They can be people, organizations, or
entities that see a new way to turn the course in favor of growth and development. These innovations open a new avenue of change
and transform the landscape. They can also be big leaders articulating and implementing big ideas. Game changers are always
transformational.
For example, in the field of women’s health, the emergence of contraceptives changed the playing field for women’s health,
articulating the idea that their bodies are not only for procreation.

ACTIVITY 1 MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Which of the following classifications of trends occurs over a longer period of time and of which we can be sure about?
A. fads B. microtrends C. macrotrends D. megatrends

2. The following concepts are megatrend under the categories of Advancements in Science and Technology EXCEPT:
A. Melting of Major Ice Sheets B. Advance Research and Inventions
C. Growing Role of Wireless Tracking D. Manipulating Routes to Optimize Traffic

3. Which of the following classifications of trends has specific variations of megatrends which also describes partial trends that feature
a different degree of effectiveness?
A. fads B. microtrends C. macrotrends D. megatrends

4. Which of the following conscious acts from humans direct the course of a megatrend? They can be people, organizations, or entities
that see a new way to turn the course in favor of growth and development.
A. Innovators B. Game changers C. Government D. Stakeholders

5. What are the counter megatrends of emergence of new values and social practices today as part of the trend?
A. Advancements in Science and Technology B. Shifts in Human Densities and Movements
C. Development in the Sociocultural Landscape D. Changes in the Earth’s Geology and Ecosystem

ACTIVITY 2 TRUE OR FALSE

________1. Globalization links people together and open new ways of communicating and creating new goods and services.
________2. Humans create fads and trends, and at the same time are influenced by them.
________3. Trends and fads are crucial in the human evolutionary process.
________4. Friendster is an example of a trend.
________5. We innovate lifestyle through trends and fads.

Gov’t Recognition No. 001 s. 2014 (Kindergarten) I Gov’t Recognition No. 018 s. 1989 (Elementary)
Gov’t Recognition No. 001 s. 2015 (Junior High School) I Gov’t Permit No. 062 s. 2020 (Senior High School)