The next generation are here already.
But will Alpha ever exist at all?

We love Gen Z. Of course we do. But the next wave of young people will be with us before we know it. In fact, they are already here. Generation Alpha, a name coined by futurist, demographer, and TEDx speaker Mark McCrindle way back in 2005, includes anyone born after 2010, with the informal cut off date being 2025. This date is up for serious debate, but more about that later.

The name is already widely used to describe them, and time will reveal the true characteristics of the Alphas. Nevertheless, here are some helpful points to get us started.

WHO ARE GENERATION ALPHA?

  • By 2025 Gen A will number 2bn
  • Generation Alpha, also known as the “children of millennials,” is the first generation born entirely within the 21st century
  • Alphas have birth dates starting in 2010, a DATE chosen BECAUSE both Instagram and the iPad WERE launched THAT YEAR. Facebook ALSO SURPASSED Google as the most popular website in the US
  • 2.5 million Alphas are born every week
  • They are born into a landscape in which devices are intelligent. Everything is connected, physical and digital. environments merge into one
  • Alphas could potentially have older parents than Gen Z because Gen Y’s are waiting longer to get married and have children.

Technology

There is, quite rightly, an emphasis on technology and the web when talking about Alphas. 2010 saw Social Media platforms emerge as the dominant space on the web. The popularity of Facebook exploded and shook the world. This shift is emblematic of Gen A who will have lived their entire life in a connected world. As keyboards and even touch screens disappear, Alphas will have the ability to transfer a thought online in seconds, using controller-free gestural interfaces and two-way conversations between device and human. They won’t see these technologies as tools or add-ons to life, but instead will integrate them fully into every aspect of their day.

Alphas will have to resist the temptation to fall fully reliant on technology. They are already growing up alongside fast-developing home tech. The rise of AI and ‘bot’ assistants could change things. Alpha’s could confuse intelligence with knowledge – or the ability to simply answer questions. A tricky balance could immerge between the need to not hold information in the brain, while mistaking AI as the source of ultimate intelligence. This might mean a wholesale shift in youth work strategy. Teachers, older influencers and role models could be discarded. With the definitive and seemingly infinite ‘brain’ of AIexa preferred.

Hope

However, let’s not paint a prematurely gloomy background as there are reasons to be excited for a generation who will be more highly educated than any previous generation. By the time our under 9s hit adulthood they may well be more specialised, with more obtaining post-grad qualifications than previous generations. The Millennial gig economy trend is predicted to become the norm for Gen A. They may move around for work on freelance contracts. They may confidently be holding 2, 3 or 4 different jobs at any one time. The self-reliance and independence created could make Alphas a generation that will know their worth.

Environmental Factors

Gen A will of course be dealing with the consequences of world-wide environmental changes, sparking the mass-migration from eroding coastal areas as well as taking responsibility for a huge generation of aging Ys that may not have state-funded pensions or social care to fall back on. Could we then see a huge increase in social responsibility and volunteering amongst Alphas as they deal with such matters?

‘Alphas’ are Pre-Christian

For us, perhaps the most pressing distinction would be that most Alphas will have had no connection with church at all. They are not post-Christian but pre-Christian. This may seem shocking but it presents a huge opportunity. A blank canvas. A clean slate. A new page (insert your own cliché here!). What if we don’t have to spend as much of our time trying to undo the damage of bad theology? What if, as youth workers and evangelists we could share the story without having to navigate the negativity and suspicion handed down from parents?

As the last three generations have cut ties with the church, most Alphas will have no living relatives who have ever attended church or even ‘know’ who Jesus is. They are a true post-Christendom generation.  Therefore, we have an opportunity to re-think evangelism and share the message of Jesus to a pre-Christian generation in a simple and pure way. This then could be the most exciting opportunity we have had to share the gospel in generations!

But what if Gen A don’t really exist at all?

“Generational labelling has been a Western phenomenon,” McCrindle says. Baby Boomers were born during the post-World War II “baby boom”. The term “teenager,” has its roots in the early 20th century. It was recognised more widely in the cultural boom of 50s and 60s America.

Areas of the world that have seen less technological development have seen less variety between generations. Nations that have experienced a more recent leap forward in technological progress will naturally experience a more pronounced gap between Alpha and previous generations. But Gen A may well see a world where the old labels of ‘East’, ‘West’, ‘Developed’ or ‘Developing’ fade away completely as they see the gap close.

Blurring the Lines

Will the global acceleration of recent times mean lines will start to blur between generations? As slower progress has not allowed for variety between generations in much of the world, could the same be true as we all blast from breakthrough to breakthrough? Many of the previous distinguishing marks, may well be separated by a few years, not decades. If giant leaps for mankind become common place and regular, will they cease to be signposts to change at all? If as much progress and change as was experienced between 1980 and 2000 is seen in just 5 years, then is it possible to define future generations at all? Will Alphas even exist or will Gen Z in fact be the last Generation?

By Pete Hopper, Communications Director