Draft:Zalphas

Zalphas are the demographic cohort that are cuspers of Generation Z and Generation Alpha. The U.S. population for this cohort estimates to 20 million. They are generally the children of Generation X and older Millennials (also known as Xennials)

In their late childhood, or “tween” years, they had to surface the COVID-19 Pandemic. While they were in their late elementary school and early middle school years, they were being schooled at home. Zalphas experienced the rise of social media at young ages, such as Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat.

= Birth date and age range = Given that the members of Zalpha have not become of age yet, there are not many specific definitions for the date ranges of this micro-generation. Maarten Leyts defines a Zalpha as children born between 2008 and 2013. Standing at the interface between Generation Z, the digital natives, and Generation Alpha, the children who grew up with the iPad. Avery Hartmans, writing for Business Insider, defines a Zalpha as those born between 1996-2012 (the entirety of Generation Z) and 2013-2025 (Generation Alpha).

= Characteristics = Zalphas are influenced mainly by Generation Z, but the younger ones are influenced by Generation Alpha. Majority of Zalphas born between 2008 and 2011 prefer to be seen as Generation Z, as they seem to not relate to Alphas. Zalphas childhood years range in the entirety of the 2010s while their teenage years range from early- mid late 2020s.

Culture
While members of this cohort are still up and coming, it is commonly found that they romanticize the early 2010s, similar to how older Generation Z romanticizes the early 2000s and late 1990s.

Political Activity
As of right now, Zalphas are currently too young to participate in any political activity. The majority of this cohort will become of age in the late 2020s and will be eligible to vote in the 2028 election.