Ahmad Itani has been the Founder & CEO of Cicero & Bernay for 18 years. His favourite hobby is chess.
From the flickering flames of ancient campfires to the illuminated screens of today, stories have been our companions, binding generations together through shared experiences.
But as the pages of time turn, a new chapter unfolds, one authored by the digital natives of the new generation. Born into the digital age, they are weaving narratives that ripple through our communication landscape, shaping their lives and the industry that connects us all.
In this epochal era, the power of storytelling is taking on new dimensions, and the stories being told are rewriting the communication industry’s script.
Transcending time and technology, storytelling is the heart and soul of human communication, forming the foundation of our connections. From the first stories etched onto cave walls to the tales being shared online, storytelling is no longer confined to the pages of books or the frames of films.
It is being reformatted and driven by social media and the ubiquity of its platforms that have democratised storytelling for the contemporary age, giving voices to the many and allowing stories to travel at the speed of a click.
Today, ours is a world where hashtags can spark revolutions, tweets can comfort a grieving soul, and images can unite us across continents.
Enter Generation Alpha, a cohort born into a world where screens are as common as the air we breathe. For them, storytelling may still be a collective, interactive experience, but they substituted penmanship for relevancy and reflections for momentary aspirations.
“Generation Alpha are the storytellers of today and tomorrow, and the narratives they spin are redefining how we will remember our present”
Narratives are crafted through online posts, photos, and videos — refusing to be bound, living and breathing in the vast digital expanse.
In this digital realm, personal branding is a language they speak fluently. Generation Alpha understands that authenticity is the currency of the digital age, curating their online personas and sharing glimpses of their lives, passions and quirks with audiences drawn to their unfiltered authenticity and unvarnished, unapologetic expression of self.
It’s not just storytelling; it’s storytelling with a heartbeat. “What happens is of little significance compared with the stories we tell ourselves about what happens. Events matter little, only stories of events affect us.” These timeless words by Rabih Alameddine from his profound ‘The Hakawati’ resonate stronger than they could have ever when they were conceived and put to paper in 2009.
Generation Alpha are the storytellers of today and tomorrow, and the narratives they spin are redefining how we will remember our present. As we bear witness to their tales, we are reminded that storytelling is not a relic of the past but a living, breathing force that connects us all.
