Embracing Indonesia’s Gold Era Alongside Vibrant Z/Neo-Alpha Generation
The world has yet to fully grasp the true character of the millennial generation. However, there is now an urgent need to delve into who exactly Generation Z (Gen Z) is. Gen Z is believed to have distinct characteristics compared to millennials, a view that has gained traction in various studies across the Western world.
Gregg Witt and Derek Baird, researchers of youth culture and the interaction of young generations with the internet, emphasize the differences between Gen Z and millennials in their research book titled “The Gen Z Frequency.”
Witt once shared his findings through an Instagram Live session regarding the Gen Z phenomenon in the United States in 2019. He cautioned that the biggest mistake made by stakeholders of the younger generation is equating Gen Z with millennials.
Gen Z itself is a global phenomenon. According to a survey by the World Bank, 42 percent of the global population under 25 years old identifies as Gen Z, as stated by Witt and Baird. The fastest growth of Gen Z occurs in South Asia and Africa.
In Indonesia, data from the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) in 2021 shows that the percentage of young people born after 2013 amounts to 11 percent of the total population. Therefore, Gen Z needs to be recognized as a demographic uprising and an important emerging culture that deserves a thorough examination.
Revolution and Generation
The large demographic size of Gen Z is causing concerns not only among pre-internet generations but also among their closest predecessors, millennials. Mclean, a Canadian magazine, conducted a special study on the generational gap between millennials and Gen Z with an article titled “In Defence of Generation Z,” published in March 2023.
Through various interviews with Gen Z individuals, Mclean highlights the differences in aspirations and life philosophies of Gen Z. Gen Z no longer believes in the mantra “time is money” or the hustle culture; they prioritize life balance as the main path to happiness.
Peace of mind, inner tranquillity, and mental well-being are life priorities considered more worthwhile to pursue by Gen Z than academic or career success. Gen Z has a slightly different definition of happiness compared to previous generations.
They demand time for themselves to heal through hobbies, health, and spirituality. The shift in life priorities of Gen Z has urged the workforce to adapt to their aspirations.
This aligns with the future of work predictions as reported by Forbes magazine in 2021, where companies will no longer force employees to work in offices to achieve productivity, but rather work hybridly or even according to the employees’ own time regulations.
“Demographic bonus” and “golden generation” are two narratives often associated with the growth of the young demographic in Indonesia. Optimism towards the younger generation is important for stakeholders to hold onto, but it often leads them to neglect making strategic adjustments to the changing generational culture.
Stakeholders also need to seriously consider scientific references regarding the implications of a dominant young demographic. Jack Goldstone, a scholar of various revolution phenomena worldwide, found a close connection between revolution upheavals and demographic changes within a nation, especially its youth demographics.
Goldstone’s study has been confirmed by Hanamaka (2016), who found a correlation between the spread of the Arab Spring revolutions in the Middle East and the growth of the youth population in the region. The energy of young people, coupled with the disparity in job opportunities between younger and older generations, triggers social-political revolutions in the Middle East
The energy, ideas, and creative works of the younger generation require a well-prepared channeling space by policymakers. Mature policies require a deep understanding of the younger generation based on science and data.
Policy makers who think hastily or heuristically about the younger generation generally do not see them as agents of social change but rather as a pool of votes during electoral seasons.
Gen Z in Indonesia
The next important question to better understand the youth in Indonesia is, who exactly is Gen Z in Indonesia? The terms millennial and Gen Z are actually specific terms. Both terms originated from a generation span separated by a critical moment in the United States, namely the social-political event of the Cold War in the late 1970s and the increasing fertility rate in the early 1980s in the US.
The generation division based on significant events in the US that gave birth to millennials and Gen Z was first formulated by Neil Howe and William Strauss through the book “Generations: The History of America’s Future 1584 to 2069.”
The generational division that is contextual and accurate does not refer to specific period ranges but rather to a major event that changes the social, economic, and political landscape of a nation. The generation division based on events was first proposed by Karl Manheim in an essay titled “Problem of Generations” in 1928.
Manheim referred to it as a romantic history approach. The author refers back to Manheim’s approach, as well as Neil Howe and William Strauss, to formulate contextual generation ranges in Indonesia.
Based on the author’s study of young generations for over a decade, and the literature review conducted, the author establishes that the generation that experienced coming of age or adolescence during the 1998 Reform is the generation parallel to millennials in the US.
The author refers to it as the “Phi Generation” (short for Indonesia’s changemaker). Adolescence becomes the determinant of a generation, not the year of birth, because the crystallization of values, beliefs, and character of a young person only forms during adolescence.
Prof. Slamet Iman Santoso, the founder of the Psychology Faculty of the University of Indonesia (UI), in Educational Character Building (1979) even calls adolescence “projective years” because it can predict the personality that will form in a generation when they are adults.
Neo Alpha Generation
“Phi Generation: Getting to Know Indonesia’s Changemaker Millennials” (2017), “Generation Returning to Roots” (2019), and “Market and Career Returning to Roots” (2022) are three books by the author on generational division based on context and history in Indonesia.
In “Market and Career Returning to Roots,” it is explained that the Covid-19 pandemic is a critical moment that has a profound impact on teenagers, giving rise to a generation with a new archetype character, namely the generation referred to as the “neo-alpha generation.”
The neo-alpha generation, almost parallel to Gen Z in the US, is the generation that experienced adolescence during the Covid-19 pandemic, which changed the way of life in the country.
The term Gen Z is actually not globally applicable; France, for example, specifically chooses not to use the terms millennial or Gen Z. France uses the term “enfants du numerique” to refer to the post-mobile phone technology generation.
The neo-alpha generation is a label often used for Gen Z. This generation is currently experiencing upheaval that is difficult to understand. After social restrictions were lifted, Indonesia was immediately shocked by various neo-alpha phenomena, ranging from the Citayam Fashion Week phenomenon, street brawls, to violence due to relationship issues.
Like a bowstring pulled tight over three years, this bowstring is now released, shooting rapidly and hitting anything in its path. The neo-alpha generation craves the texture of teenage life that they have not experienced so far.
Identity Quest
Neo-alphas attend every music festival they can, even if the bands performing are far from their era. Gangs in schools emerge as a simulation of identity formation, teenage relationships become extensive to the point of confusing teachers, and student brawls become a problem in urban areas.
This phenomenon occurs because stakeholders of the younger generation are not yet prepared for the space and activities to channel the energy of the neo-alpha generation, which has been restrained during the pandemic. The neo-alpha generation is returning to the social interaction modules of teenagers similar to those in the 1980s to early 90s.
They seek to fill the blank slate of their identity radically through various social spaces. The assumption that the neo-alpha generation is lazy and socially apathetic is an inaccurate one. This generation is grappling with finding life balance and a more cohesive identity.
Placing the neo-alpha generation in the realm of the fourth industrial revolution and demanding them to be more proficient than artificial intelligence will only create a more severe mental imbalance within them.
The neo-alpha generation needs a collective space in their lives, a space where young people from various social classes and ethnic backgrounds can inclusively share knowledge, creations, thoughts, and concerns.
Collective space doesn’t necessarily have to be luxurious with synthetic grass, bean bags, or have an Instagrammable room design. Collective spaces have sporadically emerged in various corners of cities as oases for young people, utilizing spaces like garages or family rooms in ordinary homes.
Collective space is where the neo-alpha generation can safely find their identity by showcasing themselves and observing their peers.
Cross-Generational Empathy
The neo-alpha generation yearns for the family atmosphere, as they grew up in an era where parents were busy with various economic activities. The family no longer serves as a complete social institution. The tradition of family conversations during dinner has become rare, and even when it occurs, it is often distracted by compulsive behavior to check each family member’s mobile phone.
Once again, the neo-alpha generation is a generation seeking life balance and self-identity. They greatly need the perspectives of their parents as a source of life values. The success of the neo-alpha generation in the unforeseen future largely depends on their ability to empathize with their predecessors’ generation.
The success of navigating the various crises facing humanity in the 21st century can only be achieved by utilizing the wisdom of previous generations.
This is emphasized by an American futurist named Ari Wallach through his book “The Long Path: Becoming the Ancestors Our Future Needs.” Wallach stresses that climate crisis, energy transition, biodiversity loss, health crises, and wars cannot be solved by short-term thinking.
These problems can only be solved by taking a long-term perspective from previous generations, even ancestors. Meaningful interaction between the neo-alpha generation and senior generations is an important event to be fostered both in family settings and at the national level.
Neo-alpha does not need more sophisticated gadgets in their lives; what they need are values that can be used to understand the times and themselves.
Senior generations should not feel distressed by the changing times; they must believe that the wisdom gained through experience is still important to be passed down to future generations. Understanding the neo-alpha generation is an effort to understand Generation Z in Indonesia.
They are not strangers but the children or grandchildren of our own generation. Nevertheless, they still carry the archetypal DNA and personality of Indonesians. They still have the characteristics of mutual cooperation, love for the homeland, religiosity, and a belief in social justice.
The exponential pace of technology is causing the neo-alpha generation to listen more to the external world than their internal world. The neo-alpha generation simply needs to be touched with empathy so that they can listen more to the voice within themselves.
Once they have found their authentic voice within themselves, the true mental revolution will undoubtedly become a reality.