Functioning of the Alpha Generation – Challenges and Hazards. The Role of Media Education in the Formation of the New Generation

Abstract

The aim of the article is to present the specifics of the functioning of the Alpha generation and to show the importance of undertaking media education by the family and school environment in order to maintain the digital hygiene of this generation. The article is theoretical in nature and covers the characteristics of the Alpha generation, including the presentation of the strengths and weaknesses of this generational group. An important part is the presentation of the importance of media education for shaping the right attitudes, thinking, reasoning, and values of the younger generation. Today’s children are sometimes described as the touchscreen generation or the first generation to be born into mediatized home environments. From an early age, they use screen media (televisions computers, smartphones, tablets, or computer games). The availability of technological achievements undoubtedly affects children’s development in the emotional, social, and motivational spheres. The considerations undertaken show, on the one hand, the potential of the young generation, their needs, possibilities, and the specificity of functioning, and, on the other, indicate the legitimacy of undertaking media education. The aim of good media education should also be to develop empathy, self-reliance, kindness, and self-control as well as to arouse intellectual curiosity. Shaping proper digital hygiene habits should be one of the most important tasks of the modern education process. The proper use of smart technological devices can contribute to the development of the cognitive, linguistic, and social skills of the youngest.