# Stop everything. Here’s how brands must be Gen-alpha ready.

By [John Duffield](https://paragraph.com/@johnduffield) · 2022-09-02

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“_Daddy, is it Roblox time?_” or “_Can we use the headset?_” These are frequent questions I get.

My 8 and 6 year old love to roam the metaverse. In fact, they love it more than watching Youtube or TV.

What does this tell us?

A monumental shift is happening.
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Matthew Ball’s new book, “_The Metaverse. And How It Will Revolutionize Everything_”, includes some eye-opening insights on metaverse platforms.

Late 2021, Minecraft had 150M people using it each month. Roblox saw 75% of US children aged 9 to 12 regularly use the platform in Q2 of 2020. Both platforms had more than 6B hours of monthly usage across more than 100M in-game worlds. These statistics cannot go unnoticed.

While the true ‘next internet’ is far off, much of it is here already. The Generation Alpha demographic (those born from 2010 to now) is native to this technology. They are the cohort succeeding Generation Z. **By 2025 they will be the largest generation in the history of the world**. Let that sink in. Or said differently, they will become the biggest customer segment ever seen.

Don’t ignore it. These audiences are touch and swipers, not page turners, not even mouse clickers. They need more.

Digital destinations are evolving, we must catch up.
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The metaverse is where web sites can become live web spaces. Spaces are much more engaging than sites. Think about it. The audience can literally step into the story and become a character. They can be entertained. They can connect with others. They can be completely present in the environment.

Brands should be experimenting in these spaces. Right now. From having virtual meetings to building in various platforms… brand teams should be making stuff, tinkering, testing, and getting comfortable across platforms. Then, they should be shifting this knowledge into the ideation process.

Gartner indicates the metaverse is a 10 year journey. So now is the time to start.

Here’s how to be ready: Be there.
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Lean in to this technology. Build worlds, not websites. [I posted about this](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/johnjduffield_build-worlds-not-websites-activity-6801476989002887168-KA_P?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop) over a year ago.

*   Take a meeting in [Spatial](https://spatial.io/), then build out your virtual office.
    
*   Host an event in [AltspaceVR](https://altvr.com/) and invite clients and partners.
    
*   Build an obby in [Roblox](https://www.roblox.com/), visit [Vans World](https://www.roblox.com/vans) or [K-park on Spotify Island](https://newsroom.spotify.com/2022-05-03/spotify-island-brings-new-experiences-for-fans-and-artists-to-roblox/).
    
*   Create NFT characters in [Sandbox’s Vox editor](https://www.sandbox.game/en/create/vox-edit/).
    
*   Collaborate with artists and creators who spend time in these spaces.
    

So, who’s learning, playing and experimenting? Are your children further along than you?

Here’s a snap of my son diving with the sharks in VR while eating breakfast. Also, here’s a few screenshots of my daughter’s avatar in Roblox. And get this, she was roaming around these worlds on my phone while at her brother’s karate lesson.

![Metaverse children: VR breakfast and Roblox avatar.](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/78d2f48f3fabd2c40d85143d7b90f1bd264fc96889d8eae7ecd928ead7e6d7de.png)

Metaverse children: VR breakfast and Roblox avatar.

FYI — my wife and I are intentionally managing our children’s screen time. Often having them earn it by clocking up time reading, outside play, cleaning etc. It becomes a fun game.

Thanks for reading.

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*Originally published on [John Duffield](https://paragraph.com/@johnduffield/stop-everything-here-s-how-brands-must-be-gen-alpha-ready)*