The Arrival of Generation Alpha, Set to Keep the MZ Generation on Its Toes
The Arrival of Generation Alpha, Set to Keep the MZ Generation on Its Toes
Hello, this is Chris & Partners. 🤗 Recently, products, marketing, and curation targeting the MZ generation are the talk across industries. In politics, election pledges aim to win the votes of those in their 20s–30s; in the economy, the MZ generation is named the center of the investment craze. Retail launches products aimed at the MZ generation. But did you know that Generation Alpha, following the MZ generation, will soon arrive in society? 😮 Let's explore what kind of generation Alpha is.
What is Generation Alpha?
Generation Alpha, the generation after Gen Z, refers to those born from 2010 to 2024. It's the first generation in history whose members are all born in the 21st century. The name ‘Generation Alpha’ was coined by Australian sociologist Mark McCrindle, who has studied generations for years; accepting the view that after Generations X, Y, and Z one should return to the letter A, he borrowed the Greek letter alpha.
Generation Alpha is famous as the generation that experienced digital from birth; born after the popularization of smartphones, they have no direct experience of analog media. For this reason, Generation Alpha is also known as the main users of the metaverse platforms that were a hot topic after COVID.
The influence of their parents, the millennial generation
Generation Alpha is still in elementary and middle school, in their early teens, so they have no direct purchasing power, but the millennial generation, Alpha's parents, has, unlike previous older generations, a horizontal view of education and an atmosphere of actively supporting their children. Also, as birth rates fall, a coined term has even emerged—‘Eight Pocket’—meaning parents, both sets of grandparents, uncles, and aunts all open their wallets for a single child, so the purchasing power around Generation Alpha can't be ignored, right?
Also, unlike the older generation focused on academic background and grades, the millennial generation's view of education values an educational direction that can positively shape values and worldview, so more parents advocate education breaking away from existing public schooling—homeschooling, alternative schools, and the like. You could say there's been a shift to an educational outlook that cheers on and supports what children want to do, rather than the approach of having to succeed by entering a good company.
Digital natives
As repeatedly noted, this generation grew up with digital from birth. Many in Generation Alpha watch YouTube and OTT platforms more often than TV and know more YouTubers than celebrities. Perhaps as a result, in a 2021 survey of elementary students' desired jobs, ‘creator’ ranked 4th, encompassing YouTubers and the like, and jobs related to content and IT—pro gamer, webtoon artist, developer—ranked highly.
As the generation spending the most time on TikTok, they're already skilled at creating and uploading content using video-editing apps and programs, and instead of search engines they use YouTube and TikTok to gather the information they need. As many know, they take coding classes at school and actually use them—learning in basic education what the MZ generation takes time to learn as a hobby or self-development. Studying with tablet PCs instead of textbooks or workbooks, in both public and private education, is another characteristic of Generation Alpha.
Generation Alpha's view of work
Generation Alpha is expected to grow up with values different again from prior generations. In the realm of work, too, unlike previous generations, they're expected to bring ‘a change in how we work’. Generation Alpha is accustomed to remote work and early retirement, not clinging to or depending on employment and employers. With an entrepreneurial bent—startups, freelancing—they pursue innovative thinking. They also value quality of life (well-being), pursuing interpersonal, physical, mental, and social health. Thus they're expected not to prefer jobs that lower their quality of life.
We've explored together the definition and traits of Generation Alpha, following the MZ generation. 👩🏻🦱👨🏻🦱 Naming and dividing generations isn't to deepen the rift of generational conflict but to understand and consider each other's traits and build a better society—let's not forget that, and build a future where our next generation, Generation Alpha, can live even better. 🌎❤
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