“It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology.”
Is that why my eyeballs are burning?
Every fortnight I round up the most interesting and insightful writing about British Gen Alphas (born 2010-2024) from across the internet so you can stay bang up to speed on this emerging and fascinating cohort.
This time we’re talking: brain rot, budgeting and blocky buffets. Let’s begin!
‘Brain Rot’ Is the 2024 Word of the Year (WOTY) According to Oxford University Press
By Chad de Guzman for Time
If you’re worried that endless doom-scrolling is turning your mind to mush then please be comforted that you now, at least, have an official term for it. The prevalence of ‘brain rot’ is, I think, a comforting indication that younger Britons are not diving blindly into social media's cesspits like previous generations did. “It demonstrates a somewhat cheeky self-awareness in the younger generations about the harmful impact of social media that they’ve inherited,” noted Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages at the annual announcement. I’m not sure Under 14s were quite the audience for this Summer’s ‘brat’ moment or the more Autumnal ‘demure’ - but these WOTY picks by dictionary .com and Collins, respectively, add a slightly more upbeat (and distinctly green) hue to the 2024 picture.
What Generation Alpha wants to learn about money
By Claer Barrett for The Financial Times
According to a new study, 84% of 6-18-year-olds want to receive more financial education in school and most of them see this as just as - or more - important than maths, English and science. Whose brains are rotting now, hey?! These kids want practical skills like budgeting, advice on earning and building a career and achieving key milestones like buying a home - skills sorely lacking from the current UK curriculum. As society moves towards cashlessness and Alphas are increasingly exposed to payment (and not to mention gambling) options in the online worlds they inhibit, financial literacy will be more important than ever. Shout out to this journo Dad who gave his Alpha kids £300 each and made a BBC Radio 4 feature about the results of their investments: “I like investing and I like spending as well! I bought clothes and stuff for myself.”
TikTok will block beauty filters for teens over mental health concerns
By Jess Weatherbed for The Verge
In the coming weeks, under-18s will be banned from using some of the more subtle appearance-altering effects on the platform. This follows a report by the children’s online safety group Internet Matters, which found that beautifying filters normalise unrealistic images, leaving children unable to identify alterations and feeling pressured to conform to idealised looks. This coincides with a study by Dove which found that, in the UK, 56% of girls say they can’t live up to the beauty standards projected on social media and a massive 90% say they follow at least one social media account that makes them feel less beautiful.
How to engage Gen Alpha on YouTube, Roblox, Snapchat and TikTok
By Payton Heyman for AdAge
Well, now that we know that setting children up to fail with impossible beauty standards is not how to engage them online, let’s move on to how to do it: this piece recommends brands meet them where they’re at and encourage creative expression and active participation through interactive experiences such as branded Roblox worlds or Snapchat try-ons. Prioritising social connection through community-focused campaigns can, it concludes, also strengthen engagement and affinity.
Minecraft theme parks to open in the UK and the US
By Josie Clarke for The Independent
Merlin (who also operate Legoland and Thorpe Park) is investing over £85m to make the blocky dreams of many Alphas come true with plans to open the new Minecraft attractions in 2026/7. The parks will feature Minecraft-themed accommodation, retail and restaurants plus a Minecraft-themed ride and, presumably, hordes and hordes of either completely overstimulated and/or queue-stropping Alphas that frequent every other theme park, ever. Just me? Fine. Once upon a time a nerdy video game would have stayed confined to a digital sub-genre - but younger people want to immerse themselves in their fandoms in ways that cross sectors and the digital/RL divide.