Every new generation bears a stigma — could this one be the worst?
The title “Generation Beta” — a cohort that was first welcomed into the world on Jan. 1 — could be seen as offensive, since the term “beta” doubles as slang for someone who is passive or weak.
But in terms of the Greek alphabet, it’s only right that “beta” would come after “alpha,” hence the name.
Mark McCrindle, the demographer and social researcher responsible for coining “Gen Alpha” and “Gen Beta,” insists that the monikers have “no inherent meaning,” telling the Wall Street Journal that “people have ladened these labels with characterizations.”
Yet “beta” is part of a slew of trendy insults that the youths hurl at one another, just like “Ohio.” The “brain rot” term is especially popular among Gen Z and Gen Alpha, but has also soared in popularity in hypermasculine communities, in which to be “alpha” is desirable and “beta” means to be a submissive man, language expert John Kelly told The Journal.
To refer to an entire generation as “beta,” then, is an affront.
Illinois tween Jordan Ackerson said that Generation Beta is “cringe,” although he is more indifferent to the moniker.
“At least I am Alpha,” the 12-year-old told The Journal.
Some parents, however, are brushing off the connotations associated with their kids’ generation, saying the title of “beta” is merely temporary.
“Generations used to be named for historic events,” 37-year-old Danny DeBold, a father of twin boys who were born in January, told The Journal.
“Gen Z, Gen Alpha and Beta are placeholder names until something can be applied to them.”
In fact, many parents of Gen Beta babies are brushing off the title and instead changing the narrative to be more positive.
“With everything going on with technology and the resources that are available to them, there’s actually more of a positive outlook that we can have with this generation,” expecting mother and attorney Kelli Farrell, 37, from California, told the publication.
“I hope that’s something that they’ll use to their advantage.”
Micaylah Preston, 24, who is expecting her first child in May, said that her daughter’s childhood and adolescence “will be shaped by an entirely new era of technology and personalization and connectivity.”
Meanwhile, 29-year-old Utah mom McCall Cook, who has a 3-year-old Gen Alpha daughter and a 7-week-old Gen Beta newborn, thinks her youngest will outpace her eldest child with their usage of technology. Her oldest kid can already work a smartphone better than she can.
“I can’t even imagine how tech-savvy Generation Beta is going to be with AI and all the new technology advances that we’ll be having,” Cook said.
But Gen Beta — babies born between 2025 and 2039 — is also expected to “inherit a world grappling with major societal challenges,” according to a previous blog post from McCrindle.
“With climate change, global population shifts, and rapid urbanization at the forefront, sustainability will not just be a preference but an expectation,” he wrote at the time.
“Generation Beta will live in an era where AI and automation are fully embedded in everyday life — from education and workplaces to healthcare and entertainment.”