The Word of The Year: Brain Rot
A consequence of endless scrolling… Oxford University’s choice of “brain rot” as the Word of the Year 2024 highlights the growing concern. What exactly is brain rot, then?
The language experts conducted an analysis, and after two weeks, the voting (37,000) outcomes showed that “brain rot” is the definitive and highlighted word of the year, with a visible 230% frequency increase between 2023 and 2024.
The word corresponds to “the corruption of a person’s mental or intellectual condition, mostly as a result of overconsumption of content.” The content in question here is “online materials.” Not all online materials are damaging, but as we all know, the rate of low-quality posts and content has significantly increased, exposing users to useless social media inputs.
Another description, summarized by Oxford University Professor and Psychologist Andrew Przybylski, calls it a “symptom of the time we’re living in.” Therefore, we can easily say that the digital age offers much while taking away much, such as time, money, and mental-physical well-being.
The expression’s first usage dates back to a time when the internet was not popular. Henry David Thoreau used “brain rot” in his 1854 book Walden, but ironically, it has become a trending word now.
Who are the Victims of Brain Rot?
I’m not sure if we should call them victims or founders of the word, but since the negative effects of the concept seem more significant, I’ll continue using “victims.” To answer the question, Gen Z and Gen Alpha must be mentioned. Yes, the profiles that use “rizz,” “aura,” “demure,” “manifest,” “romanticize,” and many other “cool” words I can’t count…
They were born as digital natives, in Web 2.0 tools. They are the profiles to be pointed out as influencers and content creators, but they are also the ones who suffer from mindless scrolling, watching, reading, and listening to trashy content. I use this term because this endless and cruel cycle can only be described like this. Someone shares it, earns money, takes someone’s time, and eventually, this process yields nothing. And yes, it doesn’t occur only by seeing the content but also with listening, reading, and even speaking low-quality content. Consumers grasp whatever popular culture brings, and there seems to be nothing left at the end.
What Can We Do?
As a member of Gen Z, “brain rot” has deeply affected me too. Not everything I was exposed to was valuable, so I’ve tried and am still trying to fill the gap I sacrificed to social media without questioning. Here are several minor steps we can take based on my research and experiences:
- Check your screen time daily: This became a life-changing habit for me. Once I got into the settings and found the results, I was shocked. Six and seven hours were durations that needed to be fixed. Even knowing the time you spent would bring much to your lifestyle.
- Filter your content: Being selective and limiting the accounts or pages we follow is a great step to take. Our following list determines our algorithm, and social media serves what you give your time the most. Even being selective about clicking would contribute a lot.
- Be a creator: The biggest step I took was becoming a content creator, I guess. There was a boring time to be filled, so I chose writing. In this case, engaging in works, doing and exploring new hobbies, and giving ourselves tasks would be a game-changer to break the chains of social media. But don’t forget not to rot people’s brains :) Just like being selective about consuming, being selective about creating is also significant.
All these steps can be useful even in the short term. The effects will be visible in your eating habits, sleeping routine, mental condition, and physical well-being. All we have to do is not surrender to the useless side of the digital age and not accept the devaluation of our brains.
