The year 2025 marks a generational shift: children born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2039, will comprise Generation Beta. This generation succeeds Generation Alpha, also dubbed the iPad Generation, with its members born between 2010 and 2024. Generation Beta will be the children of younger millennials and older Gen Zers, and is so-named because the letter Beta follows Alpha in the Greek alphabet. Gen Alpha was coined by demographer Mark McCrindle. What is a generation? Conventionally a generation refers to a group of people born around the same time. The term was popularised by Karl Mannheim, who published the paper “The Problem of Generations” in 1928. Mannheim sought to identify individuals of a particular generation and distinguish them further by their physical location and social status, the extent of their participation in the larger intellectual discussions of their time, and their responses to these. Sociologists have built on this understanding, but today maintain that he was alluding to the cohort or generational cohort. A cohort refers to a group of people born around the same time period who have experienced a common historical event and may have similar value systems. Some sociologists like Jane Pilcher seek to restrict the use of the term generation to exclusively refer to kinship relationships. Generational cohorts are of particular interest to marketers, who recognise the shared similarities of a generation and use this to target their product offerings. In May 2023, the Pew Research Centre, which periodically studies demographic trends in the US, recognised the market for generational research is overcrowded. It has committed to pursuing generational analysis only once there is enough data to compare generations at similar stages of life. How are different generations named? Before embracing the Greek alphabet, generations were grouped in periods of 15-20 years and named after defining societal events. Baby boomers were named after the baby boom post-World War II, Generation X which succeeded them were named for their anti-establishmentarian mindset, and millennials for those who became adults at the turn of the millennium. Baby Boomers (1946 - 1964) This generation was born after World War II and is named after the post-war baby boom. Considering the surge in optimism, this generation is usually associated with idealism and a mistrust of authority. In the US, significant events during this period include the Civil Rights movement, Woodstock, the Vietnam War, as well as the assassinations of influential leaders like JF Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. According to Tammy Rickson, this generation in the US “are fundamentally competitive because they grew up in a world in which zero sum rules apply.” In India on the other hand, this is a generation that largely grew up in independent India and saw the country embrace a socialist economic model. The country fought wars over its borders and witnessed the nationalisation of its industries. This generation grew up watching the impact of the Green Revolution – which tremendously improved agricultural productivity – and a decade later, the Emergency, which saw the suspension of civil liberties. Gen X (1964 - 1979) Tammy Rickson defines this generation in the US as the one that internalised the idea that many of the long-standing institutions could be challenged, with the X representing a mistrust of the establishment, be it marriage or corporate employment. Therefore this generation is considered one that kept multiple options open in case something bad were to happen. McCrindle calls this the “sandwich generation”, caught between caring for their likely Boomer parents, and their Gen Z kids, who by being perpetually online, traverse a larger landscape digitally than they could physically. Xers in India grew up to witness the massive social and economic transformation that would come to define the country. Rickson points out the overhauling economic reforms that Rajiv Gandhi would introduce, as well as the expansion of the telecommunications industry, the burgeoning space programme, and developments in the IT industry. This generation is understood to be diverse and “patterned on a rich, vibrant democracy – comfortable with many views, perspectives, and voices.” While emigration was still widespread, this generation embraced the possibility of economic opportunities domestically as well. Gen Y or the Millennials (1980 - 1995) This generation is understood to have experienced similar developments globally, largely on account of the extent of their adoption of technology around the same time. This generation is tech-savvy compared to their predecessors while also being socially conscious. Rickson identified acts of terrorism – like 9/11 – and school violence as among this generation’s formative events. The randomness of such violence has encouraged this generation to prioritise living in the now, and has sought to delay or avoid traditional life milestones like marriage. A McCrindle analysis views this generation as being loyal to their organisations while prioritising work-life balance and meeting their personal goals. Gen Z (1996 - 2010) Arguably the most discussed generation today, Gen Z or the Zoomers today constitute the younger adults. This generation is the first to be truly plugged in and grow up as digital natives and grew up during the 2007 recession, a period of widespread financial instability. Much has been said about this generation, its relentless online presence and its pursuit of accountability. This is the generation that has normalised talk of mental health concerns, and US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy spoke of the loneliness epidemic facing Gen Z in 2023. What distinguishes Gen Z is its political advocacy of social and environmental causes. This generation cares about their work impacting the world positively, while seeking out opportunities for personal growth. This generation is largely cautious about their career choices, despite their idealistic drive. Gen Alpha (2011 - 2024) As the first generation to be born entirely in the 21st century, this is the most tech-savvy generation so far. This is a generation that has always known a world with the existence of social media and experienced the Covid pandemic in their formative years. According to McCrindle, this generation has a heightened awareness of its environment and of mental health challenges, and is poised to drive policy and technological developments towards increased sustainability and inclusion. What Gen Beta might look like In a blog post, McCrindle posited that Generation Beta will be the most tech-savvy among the rest, experiencing a seamless blend of the digital and physical worlds. “While Generation Alpha has experienced the rise of smart technology and artificial intelligence, Generation Beta will live in an era where AI and automation are fully embedded in everyday life—from education and workplaces to healthcare and entertainment,” he wrote. He also predicts that this generation will grow with sustainability as an expectation and not just a preference amidst the social challenges they stand to inherit, such as climate change, global population shifts and rapid urbanisation. McCrindle predicts that Gen Beta will be “more globally minded, community-focused, and collaborative” than others, but will seek to define their individual identities in a world of hyper-connectivity.
