The smartphone and its capabilities has made it possible for anyone to take a photograph that is of reasonably good quality.Our eleven year old niece used a digital camera when she was four to take some fairly interesting photos at our son’s wedding from her short statured perspective. The smartphone allowed our grand daughter when she was two to make a video of the guests at our daughter’s birthday that we still enjoy watching more than twelve months later.

Watching children under five entering security codes, swiping screens, tapping icons and altering settings blows my mind. It seems so intuitive for them and in a sense it is, they have never known anything else.

My question is, where will this lead? Already the older Gen Z have grown up tech savvy  in the internet age with knowledge at their fingertips. They seem to be at a loss without something electrical in their hands. They have never really needed to retain as much information in their heads as we did because they have had the ability use a search engine to find out absolutely anything. Whenever they have needed to remember anything they have been able to take a photo of it, add it to the calendar on their device or send themselves a message.

What then of Gen Alpha? With so many photos and films documenting their lives from birth onwards, will they grow up to be more self-absorbed and self-conscious?  How will they cope if they are without the internet or a phone to check what they look like while they are smiling, talking, singing or dancing? Will they be able to relate as well face to face as online? Will this really matter?

The smartphone is an amazing invention. It allows us to connect and share information with people from all over the world whenever we have internet coverage; it makes it possible for us to see exactly what someone is talking about making communication more accurate and it is affordable for most people in developing and developed countries.

If Gen Z is the ‘Tech Savvy Playlist Generation’ what does that make Gen Alpha?