Move over, Gen Z; there are new kids on the block, and they come armed with their own, nonsensical memes. Generation Alpha, the oldest of whom are not even teenagers yet, are starting to make their presence felt and are catching the eye of marketers in the process.
Who are they exactly?
Gen Alpha are the demographic group born between 2010 and 2025. While some of them have not even arrived in the world yet, it is thought they will number around 2.2 billion by 2024. The oldest are tweens – children aged from 10 to 12 – who are just starting to arrive at secondary school.
The first wave of Gen Alpha will reach adulthood by 2030 and many of them will live to see the 22nd century, according to the Australian social researcher, Mark McCrindle, who coined the term Generation Alpha.
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Gen Z, meanwhile, refers to those born between 1997 and 2012, those aged 11-26. Millennials, also known as Gen Y, are those born between 1981 and 1996, and are quite likely to be the parents of Gen Alpha.
Going even further back, Gen X are those born from 1965-1980, Baby Boomers were born from 1946-1964 and the Silent Generation were born between 1928 and 1945.
How are they characterised?
Gen Alpha are the first group to all be born in the 21st century. Also known as ‘Generation Glass’, they are overwhelmingly defined by their proximity to technology, and in particular their obsession with YouTube. More kids watch YouTube than TikTok, Disney+ and even Netflix, according to Insider Intelligence.
It’s not surprising they are so immersed in the digital world; the first Gen Alpha births were in 2010, the same year as the launches of Instagram and the iPad.
Gen Alpha are also the pandemic generation. They are the “Covid babies, students who did school on Zoom and met family members on FaceTime, with an early media diet that slaloms through the endless scroll”, said Anna Cafolla in Dazed.
Makua Adimora, a behavioural analyst at consumer insights agency Canvas8, told Metro that Gen Alphas have “unique barriers to catching up on their development” as a result. More than half (52%) of British parents of children aged between two and four say their development has been negatively affected by the Covid lockdowns experience.
What are these nonsensical memes?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Gen Alpha are increasingly coming up with their own memes, according to Insider. One in particular, “Skibidi Toilet”, has unsetted Gen Z.
Skibidi Toilet is an animated YouTube series about singing and dancing toilet-like creatures that want to take over the world. Its creator goes by the YouTube username “DaFuq!?Boom!” and has more than 23 million subscribers, while most of their “Skibidi Toilet” videos have between 20 million and 46 million views.
Many Gen Z users have commented that they don’t understand the memes, and that they’re making them feel old. One user, @thehannahmichelle, took it as a sign that Gen Z was “the next cringe generation on the chopping block”.
What does the future hold for Gen Alpha?
McCrindle predicts that this group will delay more conventional milestones in life, such as marriage and childbirth – based on previous generational trends. “They will live longer and have smaller families, as well as being the most formally educated, technology-supplied and wealthiest generation globally ever,” Dazed said.
Generation Alpha might disagree. “For them, getting older means unlimited PlayStation, driving, owning their own houses, having kids, having boundless job opportunities and travelling the world,” said Dazed.
They are also the generation who will feel the effects of a heating planet and more extreme weather. It is something they are already keenly aware of, with the impact on animals (27%), plastic pollution (19%) and increasing temperatures (19%) the top three environmental concerns among seven- to 12-year-olds, according to research reported by the Yorkshire Evening Post. Climate change also determines their role models, with David Attenborough the most popular role model, followed by teachers, parents or another family member, and Greta Thunberg.
Not only that, but they are also contending with a cost of living crisis, inflation, the rise of new social movements and the crumbling of old institutions. “They’re children caught in the crossfire,” said Dazed.
Should we be worried?
“Thus far, it has been predicted that Alphas will be tech fluent, screwed up by the pandemic, fat, impatient and allergic,” said Hannah Betts in The Telegraph. But some will question how useful it is to assign labels to this generation when some haven’t been born yet. “Surely it is unfair to do this when their activities centre on potty training and Paw Patrol,” said Betts.
And many point out that their pandemic experience has already taught Generation Alpha resilience and empathy. McCrindle remains positive. “The thrill of life is taking steps to address the issues, innovate and bring solutions. And Generation Alpha will do precisely that,” he told Romper. “They will see with fresh eyes, and bring different thinking and their generation’s unique perspective.”
