How do new trends emerge?

Have you ever wondered how new trends emerge?

Technological trends, like other trends emerge from observation, observing the “cool”, using the “cool”, transforming and adapting the “cool”. People or organizations that are using the cool technological innovations they discovered for themselves, start influencing people that surround them, their co-workers or competitors. People usually think: “If he is so “cool’ and he is using this or that, why not give it a chance and try it too?”

It’s difficult to notice the beginning of a trend, and trends can sometimes be misinterpreted as fads or vice versa. You may take a fake that will disappear in a month for a next big thing or argue that some innovation will fail to succeed and it’ll reach the top and become a trend.

Some people were talking about social media like a fad a year ago. Some continue to argue. Recently I’ve come across a really convincing presentation on the subject:

I think that people’s inborn qualities like optimism and skepticism may sometimes influence the judgment.

Trends are born when the right time for an innovation to hit its customer comes. Technology has to be developed enough and the customer as well has to be ready to accept a new trend, he has to be at the right level of an anxiety to satisfy the need new technology is going to evoke in him. 

Have you ever thought that tablet PC is up in the air since 2001? Why is it that only in 2010 it is becomming a trend?

Have a look at this video to have a short answer:

Innovation dictates the future tech trends. So the future is being transformed by new inventions. The Wrights were interested in transforming the future. They invented the airplane and changed the whole perception of distance and time necessary to cover it.

The paradox of trends is that they provide an inspiration for new ideas and a spur for innovation as well. There is a lot going out in the world, people observe it, think it over, research, use the coolest, create a trend, which in its turn inspires others to innovate.

How can we prevent innovation and creativity from causing negative results?

There are no limits to human imagination and creativity. Those who dare to be inspired by their ideas and take actions to achieve their goals are leading us to progress. They are not afraid to innovate.

Not everyone views the process of innovation and the term creativity as positive ones.

Why?

The 1^st and the simplest reason is that we are programmed to resist change and innovation and creativity always mean change. But eventually most of the things or processes are reinvented or redesigned. You just have to be wise enough to do it properly.

The 2^nd reason is that not all of the inventions are harmless and can promise to be used for the welfare of humanity. Look at the atomic power – a “peaceful” invention of unlimited source of power energy that lead to one of the most, if not the most, dangerous inventions of the 20th century – the invention of the nuclear weapon.

The 3^rd reason is that inspiring creativity can bring negative results. If you inspire creativity with no actual goals, you may inspire chaos. As Deming put it: “Encouraging creativity may challenge processes and could result in tampering or too many changes at once without the means to link cause and effect.”

So looking at inspiring creativity and innovation we must bear in mind seven simple questions:

1. Why are we inspiring creativity?

2. How are we doing it (tools, methods, enablers)?

3. When is the best time to do it?

4. Where is it appropriate and where is it not?

5. Who is conducting the process and who is involved?

6. What desirable outcome do we anticipate?

7. What can be the undesirable outcomes?

If we are sure to know the answers to all these questions, there is no harm in inspiring creativity and innovation. We have to give an objective view of creativity and innovation, by revealing the risks they involve, like failure, for example. Taking too many risks can lead to failure; you can consider this as an opportunity to learn or to learn how to take measured risks.

By inspiring innovation and creative mindset, by providing the tools for guided and structured creativity processes we may lead to the creation of a diversity of innovative ideas.

Have a look at what J.J. Abrams has to say on the subject: