To me, zeitgeist (in English) is closer to 'fashionable fad' than 'spirit of the time'. Zeitgeist for me fits "People are using object/service X" better than "m

To me, zeitgeist (in English) is closer to 'fashionable fad' than 'spirit of the time'. Zeitgeist for me fits "People are using object/service X" better than "migrant crisis in europe is swinging politics to the right". I see zeitgeist used around fads a lot more than I see it around socio-political movements.