Generation “Alpha”: in Search of Typical Traits

This article explores the socio-cultural characteristics of the Alpha Generation and the new risks and opportunities they are facing. The aim of the study is to determine some of the sociocultural contours of the generation and specific features, as well as to find out whether it is legitimate to talk about the specificity of “alphas” not only from the point of view of the relatively new conditions for the existence of representatives of this generation in the information society, but also in the context of a number of sociocultural and political events at the start of the XXI century. Particular attention is paid to the transformation of the communicative practices of “alpha”. Cyberspace for this generation is a more natural habitat than real life. Online communication prevails over live communication. There is not only a complication (slowdown) of communication processes, but also difficulties in social adaptation, an increase in the feeling of loneliness with a seemingly huge number of online contacts. The paper also considers the demographic aspect of this generation: it is assumed that current trends in changes in social life will lead to a high probability of depopulation of the population due to the low birth rate of children and the so-called “delayed maturation syndrome”. The paper also puts forward an assumption about a somewhat different vector of the formation of the personality of Russian “alphas” from the previous Generation Z: appeal to cultural memory and traditions, education of patriotism, departure from liberal values in favor of conservative ones, and so on.