Boomers, baby boomers, millennials and so on – there is a specific word for people born in certain years. The latest generation is Generation Alpha, which is defined as a demographic cohort that are born in the early 2010s. What makes this generation different is that it is said to be the first generation to grow up with technology as an integral part of their lives.
Navigating life with Siri chirping your lunch date reminders and TikTok trends dictating sock choices – that’s Gen Alpha for you. These tech-toting toddlers are ready to code the future with one viral hashtag at a time.
Last year, a report by Wired dubbed this generation “iPad kids” because the oldest members were born the year the iPad debuted. Incidentally, they were born about two years after Apple launched its first iPhone in India.
Always connected, always consuming
Unlike Gen Z’s Facebook walls, Gen Alpha prefers platforms like TikTok, a report by Axios said. They have Siri and Alexa whispering helpful cues in their ears, and ChatGPT weaving personalised learning experiences in school. They are said to be the most tech-savvy consumers. Millennial parents hand over smartphones to their kids at age 9 and they are well-versed with payment apps to virtual reality experiences.
Covid-19 push
The report said that the Covid-19 pandemic was a defining event for this generation as it accelerated their online immersion. How? Virtual classrooms became their reality, with the consequences now evident in declining test scores and social anxieties, it added.
Navigating life with Siri chirping your lunch date reminders and TikTok trends dictating sock choices – that’s Gen Alpha for you. These tech-toting toddlers are ready to code the future with one viral hashtag at a time.
Last year, a report by Wired dubbed this generation “iPad kids” because the oldest members were born the year the iPad debuted. Incidentally, they were born about two years after Apple launched its first iPhone in India.
Always connected, always consuming
Unlike Gen Z’s Facebook walls, Gen Alpha prefers platforms like TikTok, a report by Axios said. They have Siri and Alexa whispering helpful cues in their ears, and ChatGPT weaving personalised learning experiences in school. They are said to be the most tech-savvy consumers. Millennial parents hand over smartphones to their kids at age 9 and they are well-versed with payment apps to virtual reality experiences.
Covid-19 push
The report said that the Covid-19 pandemic was a defining event for this generation as it accelerated their online immersion. How? Virtual classrooms became their reality, with the consequences now evident in declining test scores and social anxieties, it added.
Their social behaviour also took a hit, Tori Cordiano, a child and adolescent psychologist, was quoted as saying.
“Many of them were not in school at all in person, and many of them took much longer to come back consistently. We’re now seeing the holdover effects. They just haven’t had as much practice making friends and being exposed to new environments,” she said.
Climate warriors
They are born into a world grappling with climate change and the bombardment of information leads to heightened anxiety about social issues.
For Gen Alpha, technology is their cradle, their playground and their battleground. They are digital pioneers, social justice warriors and savvy consumers.