After mocking millennials, Gen Z are now coming for Gen Alpha: ‘They’re just not all there’
They’re notorious for mocking Millennials for being old and unfashionable, but Gen Z is now sneering at those who are younger than them.
Zoomers are hitting out at Gen Alpha, whose members were born between 2010 and 2024, saying they’re stunted when it comes to socializing.
On social media, Gen Z content creators claim that the youngsters suffer from “blue light stare,” described as a “nonchalant, unbothered look on their face.”
“They’re just not all there,” Zoomer Nicholas Drake tartly told Business Insider in a new interview about the battle brewing between the two generations.
The “blue light” refers to the light emitted from tablet and phone screens.
All members of Gen Alpha were born after the introduction of the smartphone, meaning many were scrolling and swiping from infancy onward.
The oldest members of Gen Alpha are now early teens and spent several of their most pivotal years confined to their homes and glued to screens amid the COVID pandemic.
As such, some Zoomers say, the Alphas never learned how to effectively communicate in person.
On TikTok, one Gen Z user by the name of Hannah recently went viral with a video in which she described her interaction with a Gen Alpha server, who lacked adequate social skills.
“The blue light stare is so real,” she captioned the clip, which clocked up 4.2 million views.
“This is just gonna be the norm as everyone grows up talking to screens and not people,” one viewer responded.
Brenda Christensen, the CEO of Stellar Public Relations, told Business Insider that while “Gen Alpha is growing up with unparalleled access to information and tools that can foster creativity and innovation,” too much screen time “can affect their attention spans, critical thinking skills, and interpersonal interactions.”
However, some Millennials say Zoomers are simply being hypocrites, given that they spend ample amounts of time also stuck to their smartphones.
One even pointed out the irony of Hannah’s TikTok video, saying Gen Z’s exasperation with Gen Alpha is the same as the exasperation Millennials have been feeling about Zoomers for years.
“Now Gen Zers are seeing Gen Alphas as themselves in the eyes of the Millennials,” they quipped. “Glorious.”
Jenny Flora Wells, a social worker and holistic therapist, told Business Insider that Zoomers may be feeling threatened by Gen Alpha, as they will soon influence the zeitgeist and replace them as the most desirable demographic for marketing agencies.
She said many members of Gen Z are also coming of age amid crippling inflation and ballooning costs of college so may be jealous of those who are younger than they.
“Gen Z has also been cheated of opportunity,” she explained of the contempt they’re feeling for those who are younger.
“There is a deeper meaning here that can be tied back to the heavy-hitting issues facing our society.”
