By Leah Rodriguez
When we think of or hear generational terms, we often think of Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. However, the generation that is not talked about so much is the youngest generation that is growing with these ever-changing years, Generation Alpha. Generation Alpha includes anyone born between 2010 and 2024.
According to First Cry Parenting, there is a list of characteristics that ensures that Gen Alpha will grow up to be the most advanced generation.
Being the most educated generation: Thanks to the technology and instantaneous information available to them, they will grow up learning more and deeper about the world than any of their predecessors. This also changes the nature of higher education as it puts tremendously different expectations on the institutions.
Tech-savvy: They will never know a world without the internet, advanced technology, and virtual reality.
AI is their reality: AI dominates their reality and is a natural part of their lives. It will also factor into how they will view the world with the ocean of information presented to them at every step.
Their learning is highly personalized: They will learn at their own pace with personalized learning experiences targeted to keep up with them.
Social media will remain dominant: Gen Alphas will interact with their friends and peers, mostly through social media, so that they are connected throughout the day.
They are constantly changing: They tend to be more individualistic and, therefore, do not fall into dominant categories of people. So, by the time you come up with a way to predict them, they are already exhibiting new behaviors.
Their childhoods are different: They live in a world of constant cognitive stimulation, so they need more structure in their days to keep them from fidgeting. Added to this is the peer pressure to perform well in school and invest time in taking up extracurricular activities.
While there is much information to sort through for this growing generation, a couple of over noteworthy things to mention is that their diet will be vastly different, and they will actually live longer along with having a more individualistic funky sense of clothing style.
All in all, there is much to still learn about Generation Alpha and how differently they will perceive this world and manage it through their own understanding and learning.
Sources
Ratnam, Gauri. “Generation Alpha Characteristics and Parenting Tips.” FirstCry Parenting, 16 July 2020.
Photo by Ryan Ancill on Unsplash