What will happen to the new generation?
Children hugging (Photo: ShutterStock)
The world has already passed the birth of Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z - and now comes the incoming generation: Generation Alpha.
But what will this generation look like and what will be the trends that will define their lives?
Generation Alpha describes people who were born from 2010 onwards, and therefore have spent their entire lives in the digital world.
This generation is sailing into an uncertain future, but it is clear that they will witness some huge global changes.
Here are all the other generations of the last period and all that have passed:
Baby boomers
Baby Boomers are generally defined as people born from 1946 to 1964 during the explosion in birth rates after World War II.
Against the background of the Cold War, this generation saw a huge cultural change - mainly from the continued rise of capitalism and individualism.
This period is generally seen as a rich period characterized by an increased standard of living and higher levels of education.
It was the era of Woodstock, the Vietnam War, and the birth control pill.
However, their liberal attitudes did not last long and Boomers are now seen as a conservative ball that laid the foundations of today's world, for better or for worse.
Generation X
Generation X is defined as people born from 1965 to 1980. They were the first generation to grow up with a vague understanding of computer technology, even though their formative years were not connected to the Internet.
Their childhoods, unlike those of Boomers, were in more precarious economic times.
In their youth they were seen as tired and listless, but now they enjoy relative prosperity compared to the younger generations.
This generation was once seen as rebellious, but today it runs the world effectively.
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Millennials
Millennials are those born between 1981 and 1996 who grew up around the turn of the millennium.
Their early lives were relatively technology-free, but they became the first generation to grow up in the Internet age.
Think of them as a transitional generation between the old analog world and today's digital and online world.
The world entered more and more uncertainty during the formative years of the millennium;
Whether it was the 9/11 terrorist attacks on live television in their childhood to the financial crisis of 2008.
They are also notable for being the first generation to not become more conservative with age.
Stereotypically, this is the generation that started Facebook, wore skinny jeans and is now being laughed at for not understanding TikTok trends.
Who are Generation Z?
There is some debate as to when the disconnect between Millennials and Gen Z begins, but it is widely agreed that they were born between the mid-to-late 1990s and the early 2010s.
The formative years of this generation were saturated with the Internet and computer technology, much more so than Millennials.
As such, they are often referred to as "digital natives" who shy away from the vices of sex, drugs and alcohol that teenagers were previously associated with.
However, they use marijuana a lot.
Like millennials, they also tend to be more liberal than previous generations and more open to emerging social trends.
In addition, they continue the trend of declining mental health, with many reports indicating that they are a generation experiencing an increase in anxiety and depression.
What is an alpha generation?
And now comes the Alpha generation, which describes people born from 2010 onwards.
Since most members of the generation have not yet reached the age of teenage, it is difficult to say what characteristics and events will define their adult lives.
However, we can say that they are the generation of the Internet age.
This generation is set to be the most technologically savvy generation yet and they will enjoy a longer lifespan than previous generations, but they will also live through an uncertain time of declining fertility rates, geopolitical changes and further economic uncertainty.
It seems that the Alpha generation will also bear the brunt of the corona epidemic that has slowed education rates and increased child poverty, not to mention the many effects that have yet to be seen, such as long-term health effects and unexpected social changes.
A UNICEF report in late 2021 described the global quana storm as "the greatest threat to children in our 75-year history" and claimed it could turn the alpha generation into a "lost generation".
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