Boom vs. Fad

Hey everyone, I hope you all had a nice golden week vacation! I had a nice time relaxing in Kansai and visiting Nagasaki ^_^ Today, I will answer Akiko's question:

"What's the difference between a boom and a fad?"

Well, let's take a quick look at what the dictionary has to say about boom:

1. v.intr.
   1. To make a deep, resonant sound.
   2. To grow, develop, or progress rapidly; flourish: Business is booming.
   
2. v.tr.
   1. To utter or give forth with a deep, resonant sound: a field commander booming out orders.
   2. To cause to grow or flourish; boost.
   
3. n.
   1. A deep resonant sound, as of an explosion.
   2. A time of economic prosperity.
   3. A sudden increase, as in popularity.

We are talking about a noun so let's look at number 3 in detail. The first meaning of boom, is an onomatopoeia(giongo). Tt means, a big deep loud sound like a jet breaking the sound barrier or an explosion.

I was woken up by a loud boom last night! But it was just some kids setting off fireworks.

The second meaning, is when the economy is doing well, all aspects of the economy are rising.

The economic boom that followed the Great Depression was largely the result of spending on wartime goods due to World War II.

The third meaning, is that there is a sudden increase in something, including an increase in popularity.

There was a population boom following World War II.

Due to high gas prices there has been a boom in hybrid cars.

This usage is similar to the katakana English word: ブーム.

In English, boom tends to be used in newspapers or when talking about things from a BUSINESS perspective. It is also often used in academia, such as in research journals, history books, etc.

The main difference between boom and fad is that fad has an added value judgement... you are saying you think the popularity of something will end soon or that you don't think it should be so popular.

A: Can you believe all those people with that crazy haircut?

B: Eh, it's just a fad. Next month, their hair will all be back to normal.

Boom is more neutral, you are just saying that something has increased or is more popular.

There's been a big boom in robotic toys this year.

Here, you are saying there are many more robotic toys than before but you AREN'T saying if you think that it is good/bad or if you think it will eventually stop.

I hope that helps clarify things, have a nice Mother's Day!

Phil