It may be too early to draw conclusions about the generational effects that will affect the decision-making mechanisms of those born after 2008. But given that a child’s process of developing an “idol personality” can be complete between the ages of 8 and 12 – and although there are even annual differences due to local, social, and microenvironmental differences – RISE researchers already see that this young generation is displaying disproportionate Expert traits, so systems and rules will play important roles in their decisions.
Before the crisis
For children living a happy childhood – obviously, it would be very nice if this statement were true for all children – in the last 4-5 years, which has been so full of social, sociological, and historical events, yes, it is possible to clearly determine the direction, the trend, which will give a generational effect to their decisions. Obviously, the Generational Research Centre does not provide information on this topic, it is a big data centre focusing on its generational database and its interpretation, but if we think about it with common sense, we can see a significant transformation in the role of social media and technology. It is natural for children to be so bored that the novelty that entrances its preceding generation, the Followers, does not exist. This can already be seen in children growing up now; the length of time they spend with gadgets is significantly reduced. One of the driving forces behind this, of course, is the attitude of parents. Parental culture has also changed tremendously for parents from the Ambitionsit Generation. While ten years ago, it was cool when a parent discussed how “precociously” their two-year-old handled an iPhone, today’s parents, if not ashamed, at least consider it natural. But by no means do they think that this can be something to brag about in any way, as they really want to be good parents. They have seen exactly what mistakes can be made while riding the waves excited by technology and social media, and they want to and will spare their children from that. Being a parent will become more and more conscious. This can be seen precisely from the drastic increase in demand for parenting methods. As a result, parents are very determined to send their children to play sports, consciously try to increase the time spent in nature, and significantly reduce the useless time spent in front of screens. But somehow, children are buyers. The other important element is that more and more parents report – and although the phenomenon has always been noticeable, it has never been so strong – that their children are analysing, forming opinions, and are not afraid to share these opinions with their parents and others. These trends will form a very important basis for the subsequent decision-making mechanisms that remain with this age group.
After the crisis
Many say that being a child during a pandemic has certainly not been easy. But this generation will extract very serious benefits from 1-1.5 years of confinement on the one hand and the whole social reaction on the other. According to researchers, adherence to rules at the social level will not be an option, but a fundamental obligation. Just as observation, evaluation, and accountability will also be part of everyday life on the part of the Systemists. With this, some Ambitionist parents will have a very serious problem, as they usually want to solve issues with dominance and are very often superficial in their decisions. The generation born after 2008 can have a serious mirror of hasty, ill-considered decisions. The often incomprehensible, enchanted, emotional approaches of the previous generation, the Followers, will be rejected and expected to be replaced by rationalism and common sense. This awareness, in turn, can often deter them from learning about novelty, and they may get stuck in a world they already know and experience because it is safe. A generation of very strong characters is growing up before our eyes, and as a parent or educator, it doesn’t hurt to be aware of this!
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The Impact of Covid-19 on Different Generations – Episode 6: The Followers