Generation Beta

• A generation is a large group of people (cohort) of a similar age in society, or with a shared time-related similarity due to historical or cultural experiences.
• Marketing managers like to divide customers into segments (customer groups) or different generations, in order to be able to process the customers better, more easily and more uniformly.
• Generations include Silent, Baby Boomer, X, Y, Z, Alpha, and Beta.

Generation Beta

• Starts from 2025.
• This generation will be the first to grow up completely in the digital age.
• Will be familiar with artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and automated technologies from an early age.
• Education will be increasingly digital and personalized, potentially in virtual classrooms.
• Disruptive professional worlds and influencers will be companions.
• Will be confronted with questions about data protection, information overload, and ethical aspects of new technologies.
• Social relationships might be increasingly virtual, which will promote new forms of communication and identity formation.
• This generation will play a key role in shaping future digital worlds.

Generation Alpha

• From 2011-2024.
• This generation follows Generation Z.
• It is the first generation to grow up completely with the technologies of the 21st century.
• Their lives, ways of thinking, and ways of life will be even more digital than the digital natives.
• Gen Alpha will be influenced by increasing digitization, political instability, and demographic change.
• This generation will experience an even greater integration of artificial intelligence, automation, and networked technologies, which could revolutionize their social interactions, education, and working world.

Generation Z (Zoomer)

• From 1997-2009.
• This generation grew up with the internet and mobile devices (tablets, smartphones) and are also considered digital natives.
• Social networks (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) are used without regard for privacy.
• This generation focuses only on their own personal goals, making them individualists.
• The joy of life and the maximization of experiences drive them, not fixed structures and processes.
• Knowledge is accessed exclusively via the internet depending on the situation.
• There are a particularly large number of Smombies in Generation Z, who constantly look at their smartphones.
• New entrants to the profession in times of the Covid-19 pandemic also belong to the so-called lockdown generation.

Generation Y (Millennials)

• From 1981-1996.
• Also referred to as "Me".
• This generation grew up in a multi-option society.
• It was shaped by the 9/11 terrorist attacks, high youth unemployment, and a high level of insecurity.
• This generation is also called Generation "Why" because insecurity is completely normal for this generation.
• Instead of status and prestige, the focus is on enjoyment of work, freedom, self-fulfillment, and leisure time.
• There are a particularly large number of HENRY’s in Generation Y, a customer segment that earns very well but is not yet rich.
• Generation Y is the first generation of digital natives.

Generation X (Slacker)

• From 1965-1980.
• This generation was shaped by great technical progress, the expansion of environmental protection, environmental disasters (ozone hole, Chernobyl), the integration process of the EU, economic crises and growing unemployment, rising divorce rates and dual earners (parents).
• It is also the first generation without the effects of war.
• Work is a central part of life, with alternative, individual life plans and work-life balance being important.
• However, there is a great sense of disorientation.

Baby Boomer Generation

• From 1945-1964.
• This generation experienced the strong economic boom with high growth rates.
• It is also the generation with the highest birth rates (lower after 1964 due to the birth control pill).
• The peace movement and the environmental movement fall into their time.
• Economically, only a few crises (oil crisis) had to be managed.
• This generation is focused on competitive behavior, attention, and individuality.

Silent Generation (World War II Generation)

• From 1928-1945.
• This generation was mainly shaped by the Second World War, with the corresponding uncertainties and great hardships.
• It is a quiet generation because it was dangerous to speak your mind openly.
• Also an active generation that learned to make the best of the situation.
• The years vary depending on the country and region.

Generations Working Together

• Currently, four generations are represented in the job market: Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, and Generation Z.