Which generation comes after Z?
It's hard to believe how time flies. Generation Z has been saying goodbye for a long time, from around 2012 to be exact. Children born from then on are no longer given the label “Generation Z”, but rather under a new name. What this is and what characteristics the next one will have Generation will have, you can find out here.
The definition of Generation Alpha
In marketing, people who were born between 2010 and 2025 are referred to as Generation Alpha. Therefore, Generation Alpha is the generation after Generation Z. Therefore, they are also the first generation born into an era of constant connectivity and social media. They are also the first generation to live in a world where they can be both creators and consumers of media. But similar to Generation Z, social media also has a major influence on the generations, as you can read in this article .
Values and characteristics of Generation Alpha
It is not yet entirely clear what views the current/future generation will hold later, as most of them are at a very young age when they are just beginning to think about values, morals and attitudes to life. However, it is possible to predict which direction their path will take, since we know that for the most part the parents of Generation Y bring Alpha children into the world (the average German woman has their children at 30) and their cultural experiences and experiences now happen at this moment. You can read here how teaching changes across generations and what a modern classroom looks like. Thus, children of this generation grow up under the following circumstances:
- Climate change: Generation Alpha is the first generation to grow up completely in active climate protection. This means that giving up old habits like Generation Y or the Boomers will not be as difficult because they simply never existed. Children of Generation Alpha therefore actively care about the well-being of our planet without major losses. Sustainability is therefore a big issue for you. But what exactly is sustainability?
- Not social despite social media: Various studies show that despite increasing online interaction, physical gatherings in real life, such as clubs, are decreasing. Thus, despite the possibility of global communication with almost everyone, the interaction of Gen Alpha is more introverted in smaller circles. More about this here .
- The first collapses of globalization: the extinction of stationary retail, since you can get everything from all over the world on the Internet, the exploitation of cheap labor for this very market, shortages of raw materials and delivery difficulties, travel restrictions and the question of morale on long-haul flights, and of course the Corona pandemic. The globalization boom is over; the first serious consequences of global trade and transport are becoming apparent at this moment. How the global world will change is uncertain, but one thing is clear - Generation Alpha is not growing up in the same globalized world as we knew it before.
- End of prosperity: Sooner or later we will find ourselves in a financial crisis again. Delivery bottlenecks, sales losses currently and from Corona, inflation. The market is changing a lot at the moment and in a negative sense. Alpha children probably don't grow up in the same prosperity that we are.
- Automation as a killer of self-realization: Everything is becoming more and more digital and autonomous and therefore the question of self-efficacy is also becoming more and more present. Developments show that the question of “Why am I here/What is my purpose” is becoming more and more important
Generation Alpha will develop based on these points. The question of which generation will come after Z remains exciting. At least to what extent constant contact with the Internet, smartphones, social media and digitalization affects the behavior of future young people/adults.
You can find out how we at LYTD® Fashion master the challenges of Generation Z with our projects here .
