In the digital age, 'brain rot' has particularly gained traction on various social media platforms, and has even found a place in mainstream journalism. (Photo: Freepik)
There is a name for when you incessantly scroll through social media and mindlessly consume content that does nothing to stimulate your brain. If anything, trash content can only make you duller and lazier. There is a word for it, in fact, two words: brain rot, or brain rotting. Interestingly, 'brain rot' has been named the Oxford Word Of The Year for 2024. According to the Oxford University Press, the decision was taken after a public vote, in which more than 37,000 people expressed their opinions. In a press statement dated December 2, 2024, Oxford stated that after 'two weeks of public voting and widespread conversation', a team of experts considered the public's input, voting results, and the language data to declare 'brain rot' as the definitive word of the year. It was selected from a list of six shortlisted words, which included 'demure', 'Romantasy', 'dynamic pricing', etc.
Brain rotting is basically brain degeneration that leads to cognitive decline, memory loss and other neurological problems. There could be many reasons as to why a brain rot happens, and making poor lifestyle choices -- like smoking, consuming alcohol excessively, lack of exercise and sleep -- is one of them.
Oxford defines brain rot as the 'supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging'.
Experts, who arrived at the decision to make 'brain rot' the word of the year, had begun to notice the term had gained 'new prominence' this year, as it was used to 'capture concerns' about the impact of consuming 'excessive amounts of low-quality online content' on social media.
Interestingly, the words' usage frequency increased by a whopping 230 per cent between 2023 and 2024.
In the digital age, 'brain rot' has particularly gained traction on various social media platforms, and has even found a place in mainstream journalism. It is, therefore, fitting that there is an increased focus on this topic amid concerns in the society about the negative impact of consuming insignificant, low-value, and mindless online content.
Here's what happens during brain rotting:
Here are some steps you can take to reduce your risk:
