Move over Gen Z, the Alphas are coming to rule the metaverse

Aged from newborns to 13, the Alphas will soon emerge as the largest and most influential generation in the world, with the most extensive demographic footprint ever recorded.

These are kids shaped by digital technology.

They are comfortable in the “metaverse” and are already operating in places like Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft.

Many will have careers in nanotechnology, blockchain, cyber security, autonomous transport and virtual reality.

“Generation Alpha are the first generation to have been born and fully shaped in the twenty-first century,” Ashley Fell, social researcher and Alpha expert from McCrindle.

“Most of them will live to see the twenty-second century.”

Ms Fell said the generation was being shaped in an education system that encouraged them to set their own goals.

“They are given time for personal reflection and there is a strong focus on the development of multiple intelligences beyond just the numeracy and literacy of old, which focused on ‘the three Rs’ – reading, writing and arithmetic,” she said.

“We’ve found in our research with educators and parents that Generation Alpha are both agile and adept.

“When faced with a challenge, educators believe Generation Alpha are significantly more likely to persist than to give up, compared to Gen Z.

“When they experience failure, educators think Gen Z are more likely to see it as a personal deficiency while Gen Alpha are more likely to see it as an opportunity to learn.”

Alphas are the children of Millennials and are often called mini-Millennials.

They have been shaped by the characteristics of their parents.

“We believe that Millennial parents are well positioned to raise children who are empathetic, holistic and have a well-rounded understanding of the global and diverse society they live in. Their children are more often viewed as little people to be understood and guided rather than ‘blank slates’ to be prescribed and directed,” Ms Fell said.

These young Alphas have been impacted by Covid which has been the biggest social and cultural marker for the generation to date.

The pandemic has transformed how Generation Alpha approach technology, education, work, face-to-face interaction, mental health and resilience.

“Technology will remain integrated into their life but they will also value time away from screens,” Ms Fell said.

“They will appreciate the things that were lost – interpersonal relationships and going to school.

“They will value family time more, as it has become an expected and regular part of their life. “Working and learning from home will become a regular part of their future.”

The World Economic Forum predicts that 65 per cent of children entering primary school today will end up working in completely new job types that don’t yet exist.

Many of the new jobs will largely come from technology.

“When today’s senior school students were at primary school, there were still people employed as toll collectors on our motorways,” McCrindle research has found.

“Now, many of these students are learning skills in robotics, coding, social media marketing, app development and big data analytics to prepare them for the new jobs and careers they will step into.”

Four-year-old Olivia Ralph, who attends Petit Early Learning Journey in Wooloowin, already knows her way around smart phones and ipads.

Mum Misty says it comes naturally.

“Olivia is very independent and I think it is a characteristic of this new generation. The Covid pandemic pushed them to be okay doing things away from friends,” she said.

Originally published as Blockchain, nanotechnology and virtual reality — jobs for Alphas