The term was first used by Henry David Thoreau in 1854, but now refers to low-quality, low-value content found on social media and its effect. How fitting.
Images Staff
02 Dec, 2024
DAWN
Do you indulge in endless, pointless scrolling on your phone for hours? You’re not alone! Oxford University Press (OUP) named brain rot as its Word of the Year for 2024.
Brain rot 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 characterised as likely to lead to such deterioration”.
According to OUP, the result comes after a public vote, in which more than 37,000 people voted for their favourite word after OUP’s language experts created a shortlist of six words to reflect the moods and conversations that helped shape the past year. The list comprised of brain rot, demure, lore, slop, romantasy, and dynamic pricing.
Brain rot was chosen after OUP “experts came together to consider the public’s input, voting results, and language data”.
They 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. The term increased in usage frequency by 230 per cent between 2023 and 2024.
“The term has taken on new significance in the digital age, especially over the past 12 months. Initially gaining traction on social media platforms — 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.
“In 2024, ‘brain rot’ is used to describe both the cause and effect of this, referring to low-quality, low-value content found on social media and the internet, as well as the subsequent negative impact that consuming this type of content is perceived to have on an individual or society.”
The first recorded use of brain rot was in American essayist Henry David Thoreau’s 1854 book Walden which reports his experiences of living a simple lifestyle in the natural world.
“While England endeavours to cure the potato rot, will not any endeavour to cure the brain-rot — which prevails so much more widely and fatally?” Thoreau wrote.
However, now, brain rot refers to hundreds of thousands of pointless social media posts and the effect they have on users — case in point, the videos of people dropping jars on stairs so they roll along and break. The purpose? There is none, which is the whole meaning of brain rot.
So, what’s your favourite brain rot content?
Do you indulge in endless, pointless scrolling on your phone for hours? You’re not alone! Oxford University Press (OUP) named brain rot as its Word of the Year for 2024.
Brain rot 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 characterised as likely to lead to such deterioration”.
According to OUP, the result comes after a public vote, in which more than 37,000 people voted for their favourite word after OUP’s language experts created a shortlist of six words to reflect the moods and conversations that helped shape the past year. The list comprised of brain rot, demure, lore, slop, romantasy, and dynamic pricing.
Brain rot was chosen after OUP “experts came together to consider the public’s input, voting results, and language data”.
They 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. The term increased in usage frequency by 230 per cent between 2023 and 2024.
“The term has taken on new significance in the digital age, especially over the past 12 months. Initially gaining traction on social media platforms — 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.
“In 2024, ‘brain rot’ is used to describe both the cause and effect of this, referring to low-quality, low-value content found on social media and the internet, as well as the subsequent negative impact that consuming this type of content is perceived to have on an individual or society.”
The first recorded use of brain rot was in American essayist Henry David Thoreau’s 1854 book Walden which reports his experiences of living a simple lifestyle in the natural world.
“While England endeavours to cure the potato rot, will not any endeavour to cure the brain-rot — which prevails so much more widely and fatally?” Thoreau wrote.
However, now, brain rot refers to hundreds of thousands of pointless social media posts and the effect they have on users — case in point, the videos of people dropping jars on stairs so they roll along and break. The purpose? There is none, which is the whole meaning of brain rot.
So, what’s your favourite brain rot content?
The Gen Z roots of Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year
Sarah Hooper
Published December 2, 2024
‘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,’ he added.
The use of ‘brain rot’ has increased by 230% since 2023, and has been widely embraced by not just Gen Z, who were born between between 1997 and 2012, but also Gen Alpha, who were born after 2013.
Mr Grathwohl said: ‘I find it fascinating the term ‘brain rot’ has been adopted by Gen Z and Gen Alpha, those communities largely responsible for the use and creation of the digital content the term refers to.
‘It demonstrates a somewhat cheeky self-awareness in the younger generations about the harmful impact of social media that they’ve inherited.’
Last year’s winner, rizz is said to be a quality that one can possess and it means ‘style, charm, or attractiveness, and the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner’.
Other contenders last year were cheugy, which is used to describe something as not being very trendy. It can also be used as a way to say someone is trying too hard
Sarah Hooper
Published December 2, 2024
METRO UK
From the Four Seasons baby to the Rizzler, brain rot comes in all forms of viral moments (Picture: Metro)
Oxford’s Word of the Year for 2024 has been chosen – and it’s one that has roots not only in Gen Z meme culture, but also in Henry David Thoreau’s literary work.
‘Brain rot’ is the term chosen by the public from a shortlist of six other words, including ‘demure’ and ‘romantasy’.
Most younger folks will be familiar with the term, most likely using it when referring to a mass consumption of memes.
But the word also dates back to 1854 when Henry David Thoreau wrote in his book Walden: ‘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?’
Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages, said: ‘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.
‘Last year’s winning word, ‘rizz’, was an interesting example of how language is increasingly formed, shaped, and shared within online communities.
Oxford’s Word of the Year for 2024 has been chosen – and it’s one that has roots not only in Gen Z meme culture, but also in Henry David Thoreau’s literary work.
‘Brain rot’ is the term chosen by the public from a shortlist of six other words, including ‘demure’ and ‘romantasy’.
Most younger folks will be familiar with the term, most likely using it when referring to a mass consumption of memes.
But the word also dates back to 1854 when Henry David Thoreau wrote in his book Walden: ‘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?’
Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages, said: ‘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.
‘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,’ he added.
The use of ‘brain rot’ has increased by 230% since 2023, and has been widely embraced by not just Gen Z, who were born between between 1997 and 2012, but also Gen Alpha, who were born after 2013.
Mr Grathwohl said: ‘I find it fascinating the term ‘brain rot’ has been adopted by Gen Z and Gen Alpha, those communities largely responsible for the use and creation of the digital content the term refers to.
‘It demonstrates a somewhat cheeky self-awareness in the younger generations about the harmful impact of social media that they’ve inherited.’
Last year’s winner, rizz is said to be a quality that one can possess and it means ‘style, charm, or attractiveness, and the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner’.
Other contenders last year were cheugy, which is used to describe something as not being very trendy. It can also be used as a way to say someone is trying too hard
