The Oxford English Dictionary has selected Brain-Rot as its Word of the Year for 2024, highlighting a growing societal concern over the impact of excessive exposure to low-quality online content, particularly on social media. The term saw a 230% increase in usage between 2023 and 2024, indicating its rising relevance in contemporary discussions about mental health.
The phrase initially emerged in the mid-19th century, first appearing in Henry David Thoreau’s Walden (1854). In that context, it referred to the detrimental effects of modern society on the mind. Today, however, brain-rot has evolved in meaning, especially popularized by Gen Z and Gen Alpha on platforms like TikTok, where it describes the feeling of mental degradation or numbness resulting from engaging with shallow or mindless digital content. This usage has expanded to mainstream media and broader conversations about how digital consumption affects mental health and cognitive function.
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