Towards 2025: Goodbye Alpha Generation, Welcome Beta Generation

Those born in the period 2025 to 2039 will be called the Beta Generation. (Unsplash)

JAKARTA Year 2024 will be the last year of the birth of the Alpha Generation. Starting next year, children born in 2025 to 2039 will be called Generation Beta or Gen B. Those born in this period will grow in a very different world than we know today.

In recent years, the term generation has often been used to group people in a certain period of time where they experience similar cultures, social, and history.

CitingParents, the generation is a group of people born in almost the same period. They are usually grouped in a time interval of about 20 years, said Deborah Carr, PhD, professor and chairman of Boston University's sociology department.

"Generation has a special meaning because its members tend to experience important events and the transition of life to certain historic moments, which then shape their lives," said Carr.

These events not only affect the way of life but also create trends, such as naming babies to parenting styles.

Exactly 00.00 on January 1, 2025, it will be the time for the year to move as well as mark the first day of the Beta Generation. The emergence of this generation is also a sign of the end of the Alpha Generation, whose birth period has been since 2010.

The term Gen Alpha and Beta was created by Australian dmography expert Mark McCrindle. Gen Beta is the seventh generation since the initial naming in 1901.

Although they are not yet born, a number of experts have predicted the characteristics of Gen Beta. This prediction arises based on current technological and social developments. The generation who was born after 2025 will become an adult in the 2040s.

These children will grow up surrounded by the latest technologies such as AI (artificial intelligence), AR/VR, robots, and various other smart devices.

An example, an 8-year-old named Jiwoo, who learns from personalized and prepared educational content every day by an AI assistant. Instead of attending classes with a teacher, Jiwoo joins virtual classes with friends from around the world to study history and explore ancient collapses through augmented reality.

After school, Jiwoo may also learn to code with his robot friends and even visit his friends' homes using autonomous drones. Sounds like science films do, but this is very likely to be experienced by the Beta Generation.

Meanwhile, on its official website, McCrindle believes Gen Beta will become a technologically integrated generation, as well as a generation full of curiosity. The generation that will be born starting next year is predicted to have high tolerance so that it accepts and involves various groups in its activities.

McCrindle also stated that all of these predictions are beached through the theme of life now. He explained that various other things could appear as Gen Beta breakthroughs and could not be predicted.

The Beta generation is believed to have different characters compared to Gen Alpha and Gen Z. This different birth period has its own current situation in the process of personality formation and behavior.

The Alpha gene is claimed to be closer to the family because of the family values held by a number of previous generations. They are on average children of the millennial generation.

Meanwhile, Gen Z is said to depend more on technology. This habit sometimes has a negative impact, for example, it is more comfortable to interact through technology than face-to-face.

Especially in South Korea, residents welcome Gen Beta with slightly different. This generation will grow amid the decline in the birth rate and change in the structure of the population in South Korea.

That means, children will grow up in a smaller family structure, receiving more focused resources. For example, Jiwoo, may become a single child or have few siblings. With the support concentrated by parents, grandparents, and even great, Jiwoo will have access to more educational resources and emotional support.

The Beta Generation will become a technology-integrated generation. (Unsplash)

Growing up in such an environment, Jiwoo will have high expectations for personal achievement, along with a sense of greater responsibility and independence.

The generation after Beta has also been identified, namely Generation Gamma. Generation Gamma will be born from 2040 to 2054. They are predicted to experience a more advanced technological environment. Generation Gamma will grow in society built on the integrity of technology that is deep and sustainable.

Generation Gamma will live in a highly connected society, leading to a more efficient and intelligent lifestyle. This generation will also see advances in extreme technologies to address climate change and environmental problems, with the important roles played by carbon capture technology, green energy, and ecological recovery techniques.