have their own bank accounts, Gen Alphas do have purchasing power thanks to the digital wallets at their fingertips. “It is very likely that Generation Alpha will never use a physical wallet,” argue McCrindle and Fell. These behavioural trends provide valuable information to advertisers, who are capitalising on social media marketing – particularly the use of influencers – in-app purchases and personalised ads. As Generation Alpha grows in its financial potential, we should expect marketing – and shopping – to be exceedingly digital. That said, young people are increasingly critical of traditional advertising techniques, according to Brad Adgate for Forbes . Television and radio are arguably irrelevant to Gen Alpha consumers, as they’re seemingly willing to pay for ad-free content. With the introduction of more and more FAST children’s channels, the pendulum might swing backwards; either way, the media landscape is evolving more rapidly than ever – and it’s up to agencies to innovate. unfortunately for Gen Alpha, there are many. Much of today’s media landscape is uncharted territory, especially in terms of regulation. Online security is one of the largest threats to young people, with little legislation in place to protect minors. With the rise in deepfakes, big data and a dependence on algorithms, an individual’s integrity is constantly put at risk. DATA-POWERED POLITICS With every opportunity comes risk, and
Surveillance capitalism, or the commodification of data to serve a political purpose, is a prime example of this developing digital danger. It has been well-documented that social media platforms played a role in the 2016 US presidential election – Facebook especially. Users’ data was collected, analysed and subsequently used against them as political propaganda. Gen Alpha isn’t yet old enough to vote (at least in the US), but by the time they turn 18, political campaigning could occur entirely online. Presidential elections changed with the advent of radio – and then television. It was no longer enough to sound good – you had to look good, too. Politicians acknowledged this shift, putting new effort into their appearances during televised debates. Dwight Eisenhower was nicknamed the first ‘TV president,’ able to reach his citizens via a box in their living rooms. Societally, we will always be wrestling with new technology. With the dawn of social media, presidents took to their devices – and Donald Trump infamously rocked the Twitter-verse by spouting misinformation, arguably inciting domestic terrorism and eventually being (temporarily) banned from the platform. “In an online world where anyone can publish their unfiltered thoughts, Generation Alpha has the challenge of growing up in an environment where there is a distinct lack of critical thinking,” Fell points out. “And as a result, we need to be teaching them the importance of questioning what they read or view online.”
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