Generational Digital Citizens

I was born in 1998, which is a bit of a fuzzy year when it comes to assigning a generation lol! Depending on who you ask, I’m either among the last of the millennials or the first of Generation Z, or Zoomers if you want something more creative. Since a majority of demographers now consider that year a Zoomer birth year I’ve generally considered that my generation, but yeah it’s a little confusing.

Image Source: Gifer

Yet I’m not here today to talk to you about what my generation is, but rather the impact of that generation and the one after: Generation Alpha. Gen Z alone is already making its mark on society in tremendous ways. They are among the most educated age cohorts in the world, and they feel as if education is more important than others. For instance, one study done by Generationz.com.au, an initiative of McCrindle, found that, when asked what they felt was more important – sports or academics – 22% of Gen Z’s opted for ‘sports,’ 29% chose ‘academics,’ and almost half of respondents (47%) felt both were equally important. 

Education has also been influenced by the role technology plays in the lives of Gen Z'rs. In fact, it's been found that online education has grown in popularity, a significant development in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and today's young students may complete their education online. The influence of tech in Gen Z's lives hardly surprised me. For instance, I get weekly reports on my average daily phone use, usually around 3-4 hours minimum, and, combined with computer usage, it's likely fairly close to the roughly 10 hours on average Gen Z spends with tech daily.

Image Source: McCrindle

As fascinating as the digital imprint is on Gen Z, however, the impact on Gen Alpha is even more astounding and will truly revolutionize society, with roughly 2.7 million born each week. Born from 2010 to today, those kids have never known life without features such as smartphones, tablets, and social media. In fact, it's safe to say their lives entirely revolve around it. That has led to colossal demographic changes, such as in China, where new technology and the ideas surrounding them have encouraged them to embrace the notion of more children.

Image Source: Business Insider

The massive reliance on technology by both Generations Z and Alpha has been controversial for a long time, but I no longer think it should be feared. Rather, I believe we should embrace it. Libraries, for instance, are centers of insight on tech and they work alongside these kids to bring it to its full potential on matters such as education, social interactions, professional development, and more. Other places such as schools and businesses should do the same, and many already are.

Further Information:

Sterbenz, Christina. “Here’s Who Comes after Generation Z - and They’ll Be the Most Transformative Age Group Ever.” Business Insider, 5 Dec. 2015, www.businessinsider.com/generation-alpha-2014-7-2?international=true&r=US&IR=T&utm_source=EdSurgeInstruct&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=05-16-2019&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTWpnNVpUZzVOR1V6TmpVeCIsInQiOiJVUWNUV1g1SnRyd2RwajNpQlFBd3RhcXk3U29Bd3d3a2dZbWF4ZU1tWWVRZ3JDbTQ5YVYrWk91clh6Rm9MVWNMSzVvVjZhXC9nYmVDbWV1c2VJUnZQNHhPVmF4TWRqMlJEcHFrS3pLa3R4MkFEVzZkZU9JUkhNZXFDTVlLOStDU2IifQ%3D%3D.