Steve Dang Podcast

Social media was supposed to be about connection. MySpace gave you a profile, a song and a list of your real friends… with the exception of some guy named, Tom. Facebook started as a way for college students to find each other. Twenty years later, “connection” has come to mean something else: less a person you know than a person you can use to increase your platform.

Nobody says that part out loud, but it’s baked into how we work a room, build a network and keep score.

In this episode I look at the ledger we all keep. Then I sit down with Roshan Khanna, a Yale freshman and Valley Christian alum, to talk about what it takes to build real connection in a world wired for networking.

In this episode

* Reciprocity on repeat. First-century Roman society ran on “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine.” In Luke 14, Jesus tells his host to stop inviting people who can pay him back. That was more than dinner-party advice. It took a swing at the whole social system. Jesus breaks the ledger.

* A quick update. Why the podcast went quiet this fall, the plan for monthly episodes, and some news: my research article has been accepted by the Christian Education Journal.

* We the people: a conversation with Roshan. Roshan grew up right on the line between Gen Z and Gen Alpha. He watched people chase genuine connection and follower counts at the same time, and he has tried to reconcile the two. We talk about:

* how COVID changed the way today’s high schoolers learn to connect

* how he found “his people” in his first two months at Yale

* and how he experiences community at Yale today.

* Getting practical. Roshan’s advice for high school juniors, for the teachers and coaches who work with students, and for parents.

Mentioned in this episode

* Luke 14

* Power, Jeffrey Pfeffer

* The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander

A question to reflect on this week

Who in your life can’t do anything for you, and what would it look like to invest in them anyway?

Thank you to everyone who supports this podcast. If this conversation was meaningful to you, share it with a teacher, a parent or a student who needs to hear it.

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I remember my first game console. It was the original Nintendo. IYKYK.

The video games I grew up playing like Super Mario Bros and Duck Hunt playing in worlds someone else had already created for me.

Gen Alpha is growing up in a very different world. It's a customizable world. From Minecraft and Roblox to social media and education, Alphas are not simply content consuming what is offered to them, they want to create something that reflects themself.

In Episode 3, I explore how user-generated content is shaping this generation’s expectations for creativity, voice and ownership. Drawing from Henry Jenkins’ idea of participatory culture and my doctoral research on co-creation, I ask an important question: just because this generation has the tools to create, does that mean they know how to create well?

I close with three practical ways we can help:

1. give them mentors,

2. give them productive constraints and the freedom to fail,

3. give them real ownership and agency.

Pearl Harbor. September 11. The Great Recession. COVID-19. Artificial intelligence.

Major events can shape what generations fear, trust, value, and believe is possible. But are generations actually real, or are they just labels?

In this episode, Steve explores the origins of generational research, from Karl Mannheim to Strauss and Howe to the naming of Generation Alpha. He also examines how technology creates shared experiences across the world and why generational categories can be both helpful and harmful.

Generational research is useful when it helps us notice patterns and ask better questions. It becomes dangerous when those patterns become stereotypes.

The goal is not to put people into boxes, but to build empathy and stronger intergenerational relationships.

In this episode

* How history shapes generations

* The origins of generational theory

* Why technology matters

* The limits of generational labels

* How to build intergenerational community

Questions to consider

* What moments have shaped who you are?

* What wisdom would you pass on?

* What could another generation teach you?

Next episode: how gaming and user-generated content reveal Generation Alpha’s creative nature.

Thanks for joining the conversation, to stay connected, subscribe here. Thanks y’all!

What if the disappearance of the kids’ table says something about how Alphas are hardwired.

In this first episode, Steve reflects on a simple observation from dinner parties that opens the door to a much larger conversation about Generation Alpha. As children have gained a greater voice at home, they’ve carried those expectations into classrooms, churches, and organizations. Their upbringing challenges leaders to listen and begin leading with them.

Along the way, Steve explores in 3 parts:

* The disappearance of two tables.

* How Generation Alpha learned that their voice matters

* Why technology has “flattened the table”

* What Jesus’ ministry around the table teaches us about belonging and transformation

* The difference between having a voice and taking responsibility

* Three practical ways to lead a generation that expects to be heard

I didn’t start out as a generational researcher.

I started with a pastoral question, “how do we help young people know, love, follow and grow in their relationship with Jesus?”

What I discovered along the way challenged my assumptions about leadership, spiritual formation, and how our youngest generational cohort will shape our world.

Let’s nerd out together. Welcome to the conversation.

-Steve Dang