Why you're afraid of Gen Alpha

“Generation Alpha” has been emerging as a term on the internet in recent months. Lots of people saw a viral video titled “The world isn’t ready for Gen Alpha.” It showed two twelve year olds saying funny words, while subtly bullying each other. 

For many, this was the first time they heard the label “Generation Alpha,” after years of fixating on Millennials and Gen-Z. 

We use generation labels as a way to… 

Actually, I’m not sure what we use them for. What productive thing do we use them for? 

The unproductive things we use them for are: stereotyping people and dividing them. We use them as a way to let ourselves off the hook of connection. Instead of doing the work to listen and understand, we can simply spout “Boomer! Gen-Z! Gen Alpha!” Then move on with our day and keep our feedback loop humming.

You have exponentially more in common with all the other generations alive right now than you do with 99% of human history and human future. The ones who make an impact now will be the ones who realize this, and do the hard work of connecting, even when the social eject button is so enticing. 

P.S. Might I add, the kids in the previously linked video aren’t anything different. They’re just gregarious junior-high-ers, repeating things they heard on TV or the Internet. You and I did the exact same thing.