GEN Z and Alpha: To create better communication strategies for new generations, we need to step out of the spectator role
As a mother and PR manager at a tech PR agency in Brazil, futurology has become a daily exercise. Understanding new generations and their consumption habits is a vital part of my work. On a daily basis, new information about the market is combined with moments of observation of my own children under 5 years old who already choose their educational formats and entertainment in real time with two clicks on a smartphone. An incomparable parallel for a cringe millennial like me, who learned to traditionally read at school with real books at age 7 and took “computer lessons”, I now have a three-year-old daughter who already knows the alphabet, plays games and talks with Siri and Alexa knowing they are not real people.
Developing communication strategies and working in a fast-evolving market, it is not difficult to see that Gen Z (1995 - 2010) and Alpha (born after 2010) will be the pot of gold for large companies in the near future. But a recent survey created by Snapchat in partnership with Oxford Economics showed that new generations are more proactive. In addition to being exceptional digital early adopters, they generate changes through their unpredictable ways of consumption and economic habits motivating transformation. These generations are already generating innovation to transform the world through disruptive tools and ideas.
Some interesting points from the report published by Oxford:
A greater emphasis for the future workforce will be placed on skills such as agility, curiosity, creativity, critical thinking and problem solving, playing into Gen Z's natural strengths
4IR, new technologies and the legacy of the COVID-19 are set to transform skills demand, with the majority of jobs to require advanced digital skills
The global AR market is projected to expand four-fold by 2023 and its revenue is estimated to be nearly quadrupled between 2018 and 2020.
In other words, Gen Z is already changing the way money is spent and earned on the internet. From the communication perspective, a Gen Z influencer is more independent and less passive. S/he doesn't expect a big deal with a famous brand to make money, they seek their own monetization through the Gig Economy, monetizing their communities, seeking innovative payment options for digital content production (NFTs), stimulating the financial market to disruption with unconventional consumption choices (fintechs and blockchains) and in the development of applications, services and digital organizations.
They will develop the augmented reality market, metaverse and hybrid reality market, in a way never seen before, thanks to the gaming boom during the pandemic and the need for more immersive interactivity, which will expand beyond entertainment and impact medicine, engineering and science. Companies will need to be laser focused on Gen Z and Alpha’s needs to better craft modern and effective communications strategies.
Because they're digital natives, they will be a unique workforce, less locked into bureaucratic contracts and workplaces, and doing more with less, because they can deal better with interactivity, fast-paced changes and uncertainty. With all these topics becoming urgent changes during the pandemic, our future is right before our eyes, plugged into screens.
To develop any communications strategy or project for these audiences, reports and numbers that show it's a valuable place to be for brands and services are no longer enough. We need to discover ways to make their eyes brighten beyond the screens and be part of the natural changes they promote. As Gen Z and Alpha rise, all that you loved about the pre-pandemic world may change. But we can still have a better future.
Taking the proper precautions with overuse and toxicity found in internet culture, learning from the behavior of new generations is no longer just a way to stay tuned into trends, but a way to understand and co-create, making the gap between generations smaller and fostering important structural changes in the evolution of humanity.
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