Many products (goods and services) experience rapid adoption followed
by decline, transformation, or absorption into broader technological and
cultural systems. These phenomena, often described as innovation fads, provide
valuable insight into the cultural mechanisms that shape the lifecycle of
innovations. This article analyzes sixty-six cases of products (goods and
services) that experienced explosive growth between the late 1990s and the
mid-2020s across multiple sectors, including consumer electronics, media
formats, communication technologies, lifestyle products, and digital platforms.
The study applies the Cultural Innovation Construct Process Model that classify
innovations according to four cultural drivers: Neowel (technology-driven),
Beutel (aesthetic-driven), Moral (rule-driven), and Gnosil (knowledge-driven).
Using comparative historical analysis and cross-sector case examination, the
research identifies recurring patterns in how innovations emerge, diffuse, and
decline. The findings suggest that aesthetic-driven innovations tend to
generate rapid but short-lived diffusion, while technology-driven innovations
frequently become absorbed by new technological platforms. Norm-driven
innovations display greater stability when supported by institutional
frameworks. The most durable cultural transformations, however, appear to be
associated with knowledge-driven innovation, where new scientific or systemic
understanding reshapes behavior and decision-making. The study proposes a
strategic framework indicating that innovations integrating knowledge
transformation, institutional alignment, technological enablement, and cultural
symbolism are more likely to evolve from temporary fads into sustained cultural
practices.
