SCREENAGERS OR "SCREAMAGERS"? CURRENT PERSPECTIVES ON GENERATION ALPHA

Abstract

People love to talk about generations, especially when the feeling is that the world is rapidly changing. Terms such as millennials or Generation Z are already used worldwide, even if the sociological origins of the generation theory are less known by the general public. Although Generation Z was defined as digital natives, there are voices trying to suggest that a new digital native generation is here, and its name is Generation Alpha or screenagers. We are not sure if there is a clear border between these digital native generations, although there are some recent findings identifying them as more curious, creative, or self-determined than their predecessors. The technology dependence also brings relational and emotional issues, and we used the term of "screamagers" to describe their ill-tempered behaviors. However, there is a risk of devolving into stereotyping, when the scientific evidence on this topic, for now, seems to be scarce. Perhaps it is too early to speak about a new generation and more scientific studies are needed to increase our understanding of the evolution of people born after 2010.