Nepotism is defined as a practice that favors powerful individuals’ family and friends in the allowance of opportunities. Nepotism has a negative connotation, and many celebrities refuse the label. However, over many platforms people have voiced that they would not mind the label if it came with the rewards. The wish for an idolized life is what drives this trend. Heck, even I had nepotism on my Christmas list!

Celebrities, such as Lily Rose Depp, avidly deny their nepotism even though they are allowed more opportunities than the average person. These opportunities include skipping the audition process, attending specialized schools in their career interest, and not having to worry about competition. Overall nepotism babies have an easier time making their mark in the world. 

This hankering for easy connections has been driven by social media trends. Media platforms, such as TikTok, latched on to the concept of nepotism, and the term has become less of a practice and more of an experience. Latest TikTok trends label a ‘nepotism baby’ as an individual who has experienced an upper hand due to their connections and relationships. To put it simply, a nepotism baby is someone who was born with their foot already in the door.

Under this new definition, anyone could be a nepotism baby. For example, someone may believe that a teacher’s kid is a nepotism baby. This is because they have unfair advantages, such as getting to go to their parent when others have to face the nurse. However, this circumstance does not necessarily mean that the teacher’s kid has done anything wrong. There are a lot ways which someone can experience nepotism. Personally, I could be labeled as a nepotism baby because I get free subs from Village’s Pizza because my father is the manager. 

In our currently fast-paced, meme-culture society, trends die quickly. Nepotism, as a concept, has defied this belief. Although the nepotism baby trend has somewhat died down, the term, and its new definition, has tattooed itself into many people’s vocabulary. 

Social media is known for many things, but the most prominent aspect of current media is allowing people to hold their society accountable. Nepotism babies are just another way for the younger generation to voice their opinions on the injustices they see, no matter how large or small they are. This can be said about many other trends that surfaced on young-adult-driven platforms such as Twitter, TikTok, and Youtube. 

Although social media is not the healthiest platform for many young adults, there are benefits in the learning opportunities it may bring. Social media gives many people a voice and connection to others that they can relate to and learn from. With all the information social media provides, young people have been able to establish and develop their opinions. Nepotism is another label for the circumstances we could never describe before.