“Brain Rot” is the Oxford University Press, the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary, word of the year for 2024. Well, actually two words of the year. Things change, slang evolves and new terms seem sillier and sillier to the older generations. That goes along with death and taxes as something there will always be in the world.
Brain rot, according to Oxford, is defined 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. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration.”
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“Our experts noticed that ‘brain rot’ gained new prominence this year as a term used to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media,” said the people at Oxford. “The term increased in usage frequency by 230% between 2023 and 2024.”
Henry David Thoreau, in his 1854 book Walden, was one of the first to use the term “brain rot.” Thoreau used this term to criticize society’s tendency to favor simplistic ideas over complex ones. He saw this as a sign of a broader decline in mental and intellectual rigor. In a famous passage, he asked, “While England endeavors to cure the potato rot, will not any endeavor to cure the brain-rot—which prevails so much more widely and fatally?”
Brain rot has taken on new significance in the digital age, especially over the past 12 months, explained Oxford. Initially gaining traction on social media platform—particularly on TikTok among Gen Z and Gen Alpha communities—’brain rot’ is now seeing more widespread use, such as in mainstream journalism, amidst societal concerns about the negative impact of overconsuming online content.
”Looking back at the Oxford Word of the Year over the past two decades, you can see society’s growing preoccupation with how our virtual lives are evolving, the way internet culture is permeating so much of who we are and what we talk about,” saidCasper Grathwohl
President of Oxford Languages. “Last year’s winning word, ‘rizz’, was an interesting example of how language is increasingly formed, shaped, and shared within online communities.‘Brain rot’ speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time. It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology. It’s not surprising that so many voters embraced the term, endorsing it as our choice this year.”
In recent years, the term “brain rot” has gained popularity as a descriptor for both the cause and effect of consuming low-quality, low-value content online. This content, often found on social media platforms, is perceived to have a negative impact on individuals and society.
The term has become particularly associated with specific online subcultures. For example, the viral Skibidi Toilet video series and “only in Ohio” memes have spawned a unique “brain rot language,” with terms like “skibidi” and “Ohio” now commonly used to describe nonsensical or embarrassing things. This trend highlights the increasing influence of online culture on offline language and behavior.
