The art of handling maturity is not a very simple thing to master. Georgia’s Alpha Generation is coming of age, rushing through modern thick and thin as we all did in our own time of personal maturation, getting ready to enter the universally cherished prime of life—the time of anticipated strength, abundance, and free decision-making. Gen Alpha are the kids between the ages of one and fifteen, who grew up in an utterly digitalized world and whose character was molded by scientific-technological advance, turning them into savvy, diverse, and malleable types of human beings.
These are the guys who will be handling the fates of the motherland, figuring in the Republic’s legislative, executive, and judicial bodies—provided such governing structures are still around when they come of relevant age. Their ceaseless access to the internet, smartphones, tablets, and myriad other types of digital devices has shaped them into the personalities they happen to be now and will be in the nearest future, unless the selfsame technology brings about novelties to radically alter their lives. And not just that!
The Gen Alpha species, first and utmost, are Artificial-Intelligence-Natives—a fact that might fully and finally eradicate in them the remaining vestige of a sense of nationality, because they are probably destined to live in a world of unseen-before racial and ethnic indifference and diversity. In their time of maturity, work habits, career choices, social interactions, general education, consumer behavior, and cultural demeanor will all be influenced by a powerful stress on the overwhelming personalization of everything—including learning strategies, digital sources, and a clearly-cut proclivity for ethical revolution.
I personally have to do with tens, if not more, of Gen Alpha kids. I teach them, that’s why! And not only do I teach them—I am trying to keep a keen eye on their behavior and manner of conduct. I have to admit that these children are extremely interesting, and I always manage to find a common tongue between us. Most of them in this country are sharp in perception and benign in social interaction. They are certainly influenced by screens and the online communities thereof, but that influence is mostly innocuous and sometimes even beneficial.
Their tech-savviness is helping them achieve personal maturity at an early age, thus maintaining a strong potential to smartly take care of their motherland when their time to rule arrives. Georgia needs a talented, qualified, and ready-to-act workforce to make actual progress, and the workforce development strategies have to be focused on the potential of Generation Alpha in skilled trades—keeping in mind that these young men and women are absolutely ready to handle the tech-based nature of their incipient jobs.
Hopefully, the businesses in Georgia are beginning to study the preferences of Gen Alpha, as they are expected to shape the prospective business, consumption, technological, scientific, cultural, and diplomatic trends. The social and academic inclusion of our ‘iPad Kids’ matters very much. There are many tricky ways of correctly and usefully engaging Generation Alpha: let’s concentrate on their digital nativity, incorporate video-based content, delegate tasks—thus nurturing a sense of control in them—encourage face-to-face interaction, help them shrewdly navigate the online environment, control screen time, and delineate technology use.
There are certain pros and cons determining the quality of life and action of Gen Alpha: having grown up with technology, they are hyperconnected and overly exposed to internet virtuality; they are self-driven and enjoy independent problem-solving; emotionally intelligent and adaptable, their entrepreneurial and collaborative spirit is amazing. These are the pros.
The cons are also to be taken into account: excessive screen time, shortness of attention, social alienation, lack of face-to-face social skills, anxiety, depression, overdependence on technology, limited outdoor play, reduced emphasis on reading. Gosh, how far is all this from our Georgian national character!
Now the question is how to happily maintain both the ‘Lexus’ and the ‘Olive Tree’ in Sakartvelo. To somehow handle all the above cons, it will take us—the grownups—to assist the Alphas in handling their coming-up maturity, and this might be a piece of real art, not just another parental triviality.
We can at least cultivate in those very-different-from-us kids some self-awareness, emotional regulation, accountability for their actions, handling situations thoughtfully rather than emotionally, fostering intellectual maturity via critical thinking and open-mindedness, nurturing in them behavioral maturity, taking responsibility, practicing self-discipline, adapting to change, communicating clearly, resolving conflict constructively, and, most importantly, understanding other people’s opinions by using a sense of compassion and responsiveness.
Too much? Possible! But inevitable to cope with—keeping in mind that the Alpha Generation is the one in whose hands Sakartvelo will find itself in less than just one score of years.
By Nugzar B. Ruhadze
