• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, Yesterday

A change is taking place that could affect both marketers and publishers. Millennial parents (the first digital natives) and their Gen Alpha children (the first algorithm natives) are exhibiting new consumption behaviors, according to The New Media Multiverse, a study by Horizon Media, conducted with its WHY Group and Blue Hour Studios, Horizon's social and influencer agency. 

"This isn't just a generational shift; it's a preview of where everything will move," says Matt Higgins, head of strategy at Blue Hour Studios. "Alpha-Millennial households are living inside a new consumption model and signal what's ahead for all consumers: multi-platform, interest-driven, and accelerated.”

As part of this change, top-down influence models are obsolete. Indeed, 77% of Millennial parents say “"my child/children are more influential in determining purchases than I was to my parents."

But people still have a certain feeling for the past—84% gravitate toward familiar nostalgic formats. And, despite the rapid pace of changes, 82% of content discovery now happens through shared interests rather than solely based on individualized algorithms.

This marks a shift from hyper-personalization back toward community-driven discovery, the study states.

At the same time, 76% feel content relevance outweighs creator popularity. And 80% of believe gaming environments are valuable mostly for the social interaction they provide rather than gameplay.

"These findings aren't just about understanding a specific demographic—they're early indicators of where all marketing is heading," concludes Maxine Gurevich, SVP, Cultural Intelligence of HorizonMedia's WHY Group. "We're seeing the emergence of a new marketing operating system built around lateral influence, multi-platform engagement, and interest-driven communities. Brands that recognize and adapt to these shifts now will be positioned to lead as these behaviors become mainstream."

The WHY Group and Blue Hour Studios combined cultural audit and social listening, analyzing 250+ pieces of content. In addition, they surveyed a panel of 1,000 American Millennial parents (ages 28-48) and Gen Alpha children (ages 7-13) in February 2025.