2- Why is Found Family so Popular?

So why exactly is Found Family so popular? Well there's a couple different reasons that I have found that explain the growing love towards this trope. 

One is simply that as humans, we crave community and connections, even if we already have that in our lives we find it very satisfying to experience a disconnected group of individuals coming together and forming close meaningful bonds with each other. And of course if we enjoy those kinds of stories we will seek them out as well as recommend them to friends and talk about them, bolstering the attention that they receive. But if one does not have that sort of real life connection then these stories take on an extra layer of meaning as they present the opportunity to live vicariously through the experiences of the characters. 

Unfortunately there are a lot of reasons people might find that area of their life lacking. It's hardly any secret that in the modern day it can be difficult to create and maintain meaningful connections, even with ones own family. Anything from busy lives, to oft blamed phones and screens, to outright strife and disagreement with family members. 

This may be why the Found Family trope is so popular with Generation Z. As it stands it is not uncommon for the younger generation to hold radically differing political opinions than that of their parents and grandparents, causing a schism between them and their biological family, either merely emotionally but in many cases physically as well. In either case I have seen that this division often spurs young people to seek out and enjoy the Found Family trope as they often desire an alternate family, one who accepts them or at the very least can get along amiably with them without any strife.