Andrew sounded a tad annoyed even though it was his 10th birthday, a momentous occasion for most 9-year-olds, to be sure.
“Man, it takes sooooo long to go from 8 to 9 and then 9 to 10,” said my thoughtful great-nephew with surprising dramatic flair.
He was decidedly relieved to join the ranks of double digits earlier this month. The dude is wiser than his years, a small but mighty soccer player who reads hardcover books and can tell a knock-knock joke with the best of them.
Born in 2009, Andrew is considered to be a member of Generation Z, whom demographers say were born from the mid-1990s into the early 2000s. They are defined by their independence, competitiveness, and yearning for security and, well, money.
That sounds about right since every time I see him he demands a 25-cent penalty payment even before I utter any curse word. Shouts of “Quarter!” emanate from the oddest places. I swear he’s part ninja. And I swear I don’t swear that much.
More on that another time. This blog isn’t about Andrew. So there.
It’s about my youngest great-nephew, Landon, who turns 6 today. (Happy birthday, Blue!)
With a 2013 birth year, he is among the earliest group of babies entirely born within the 21st century. They’re called Generation Alpha, which comes from the first letter of the Greek alphabet.
All Gen Alphas are born between 2010 and 2025.The current Alpha elders are just 9 years old.
These kids have been wired all of their lives. Think about it. An entire generation that’s never been unplugged.
Most but not all are the children of Generation Y (a.k.a., “Millennials”), who have reached adulthood, despite what you may hear from their disillusioned employers.
Like Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Generation Zers before them, Generation Alphas will help shape our future. From advertising to zeitgeist, what they think, say and do matters in a big way.
Coined by sociologist Mark McCrindle, who heads a social research agency in Australia, Gen Alpha children use smartphones and tablets naturally. They were born beside iPhones, iPads and apps.
They do not know — and cannot imagine — how life was without technology. Alphas learn by doing and are not afraid of touching buttons to learn what those buttons do.
Video: “What Generation Alpha has to say about technology” (2:11)
“I would rather have an iPad. Better than a dog.”
Alfred, an American Alpha kid
McCrindle’s group believes this generation is part of an “unintentional global experiment,” in which screens are placed in front of children at the same time as pacifiers.
Other new norms for Alphas include:
- Diversity: It’s a standard for them, with women in the workplace, the value of inclusion and a focus on equality as overwhelming norms.
- Life markers: Marriage, children and retirement are expected to be delayed, much like previous generations.
- Education: They are expected to surpass their predecessors, Generation Z, as the most formally educated generation in history.
By 2025 when the youngest Alphas are born, they will account for 2 billion of the global population. Alphas are expected to be the longest-living generation as well as the wealthiest, according to the accounting firm Grant Thornton.
Gen Alphas like young Landon will come in handy down the road.
They’ll work hard, pay taxes and, with any luck, tell us which buttons not to push.
Source: “Generation Alpha: The Children of the Millennial,” December 18, 2018, interestingengineering.com.
