Gen Alpha is growing up in a world shaped by algorithms, TikTok and instant access to information. But are these generations really that different, or are they simply expressing the same human experiences in new ways?
“Our music was better.”
“No, ours is better.”
Every generation seems to have the same argument. Millennials insist today's music lacks soul, Gen Z claims older generations are trapped in nostalgia, and Gen Alpha is too busy creating the next viral trend to care. Yet behind the jokes, fashion debates, and social media wars lies something deeper: every generation is shaped by the culture it grows up with.
Music is one of the ways humans mark periods in history; disparities between periods are also felt in the non-material and material culture of those periods, such as music, fashion, art, and architecture.
Language, as well, is important not to forget how language can be used, in nuances and accents, just to mention. I mean, we all have lingo that we use when we are hanging out with our friends, family and workmates. Depending on the decade you were born in, this can vary accordingly. Generation to generation, these differences have connected people and also set us apart.
A bally looks at a yo wearing a Jordan 1 with the same Chicago colourway, just like the pair they had back in the day. Then two things might be happening: a sense of nostalgia hits hard, memories of the first place they went when they got those shoes hit even harder, and a tear drops. Or they call it some sort of sacrilege and that these ‘yobalis’ will never know how good it was. And they are right.
Be you Millennial, Gen Alpha or Gen Z, the memories attached to the songs we listened to, the shoes we wore or the cartoons we watched bind us to the time we grew up in and to any other person that might have had similar experiences to us. Gen Z swagging millennial fashion trends like they were created yesterday, A millennial enjoying a Gloria Hankombo painting from the exhibition they saw over the weekend and/or Gen Alpha getting a whole history lesson from a fifteen-minute clip. It’s safe to say we all have what we are familiar with.
Millennials vs Gen Z: The Battle Over Style
Millennials in recent times have felt the pain of having to see things from their generation seemingly appropriated by both Gen Z and Alpha. ‘Appropriated’ might be too strong a word; ‘taken’ might be a little easier and more confident. Hip-hop fashion of the nineties, especially. Baggy jeans, Jordan 1s and oversized tees. Name it, Gen Z has probably taken it and made it their own. Truly, with gender norms thrown out the window, everything is up for grabs. That’s how fluid it is. No one is safe from the fluidity of Gen Z ingenuity. Safe to say you are better off just letting them cook or risk being called chopped. For context, that’s a slang word for ugly. The word is not as bad as I made it look. It’s something you'd say to yourself, staring directly at your reflection in the mirror just before you go to work or school. Set for calmer rude awakenings.
Though as much as a Millennial would pop a vein at all Gen Z fashion appropriations, music seems to be one thing they are both willing to share and enjoy. Amapiano, for example, is the great equaliser, seemingly. Vibey enough for Millennials to enjoy, even with recurring reservations somewhat. Best believe ‘Summer Yo Muthi’ is everyone’s summer song.
The transition from an analogue lifestyle to a digital one has seen so many comparisons. At times, not so much a comparison but a weigh-in. The often-romanticised hustle culture of the 1990s and the ‘soft life’ of the noughties and beyond. You know, back when you would hug the radio so tightly, waiting for them to play your favourite song. Now they have Spotify or Apple Music to curate music however they like, you would wonder what was more romantic. You know how you would take those old cassette tapes and make that special person a mix of all their favourite songs, or how now you would just share your playlist with them, and you would be intimately inviting them into your world. Maybe that's something to ponder on. The juxtaposition of these two different periods in time is interesting in that so much did change, but so much stayed the same. Both Millennial and Gen Z would agree, notwithstanding the friction felt between these two generations, so much of what was then still is now but has taken a new form.
The Algorithm Generation
A Gen Alpha knocks on the door and goes like, “Knock knock!” A Millennial and Gen Z answer and ask, “Who’s there?” The Gen Alpha screams ‘skibidi!'. The ending of this very bad joke sees the Millennials and the Gen Z;s looking at each other, puzzled, like what just happened. If millennials thought Gen Z were menacing, wait till they get a load of the enigma that is Gen Alpha. Growing up with constant access to information, Gen Alpha often appears more digitally fluent than previous generations at the same age. They are often exposed to global events, trends and conversations earlier than previous generations through social media platforms. Because of that, the fluidity of Gen Alpha culture and creativity has had a dependence on the algorithm that feeds us all the content that we come into contact with. Viral TikTok dances, history lessons and parenting advice, nothing that the algorithm can’t choose to show you, like it seemingly has a conscience. A Gen Alpha might feel the algorithm is more trusting than their guardians, in that they would rather ask Google than their Mum or Dad. To be fair to them, if they do it to escape the scowls on the faces of Millennials and Gen Z, then they are alright. Best believe it knocks ‘Ballys’ and ‘Yo's’ alike off their perch!
What Connects Every Generation?
In conclusion, each generation has something unique to their time that the other appreciates and/or finds totally weird. But that's life, isn’t it? It’d be good to know that the gaps in between each generation are being bridged slowly and connecting us finely to each other, although there are things that we can’t agree on.
