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Brain rot

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In Internet culture, brain rot (or brainrot) refers to any Internet content deemed to be of low quality or value, or the supposed negative psychological and cognitive effects caused by it.[1] The term also refers to excessive use of digital media, especially short-form entertainment, [2] which may affect cognitive health. The term originated within Generation Alpha and Generation Z online cultures but has since become mainstream.[3]

The Oxford University Press defines its modern usage 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".[3]

Origin and usage

According to Oxford University Press, the first recorded use of the term traces back to the 1854 book Walden by Henry David Thoreau.[4] Thoreau was criticizing what he saw as a decline in intellectual standards, with complex ideas being less highly regarded, and compared this to the 1840s "potato rot" in Europe.[3]

In online settings, it was used as early as 2004. In 2007, the term "brain rot" was used by Twitter users to describe dating game shows, video games and "hanging out online".[5] Usage of the phrase increased online in the 2010s before becoming rapidly more popular in 2023, when it became an internet meme.[5] In 2024, it is most frequently used in the context of Generation Alpha's digital habits among critics expressing that this generation is "excessively immersed in online culture".[6] It is commonly associated with an individual's vocabulary consisting exclusively of internet references.[7] From 2023 to 2024, the term increased by 230% in frequency per million words.[3][4]

The term is often linked with slang and trends popular among Generation Alpha, such as "skibidi" (a reference to the YouTube shorts series Skibidi Toilet), "rizz" (short for charisma), "gyatt" (referring to the buttocks), "fanum tax" (stealing food), and "sigma" (referring to a leader or alpha male).[8] Some online content are commonly labelled 'brainrot', such as the web series Skibidi Toilet.[4][9]

In 2024, Millennial Australian senator Fatima Payman made headlines by making a short speech to the Australian parliament using Generation Alpha slang. She introduced the speech as addressing "an oft-forgotten section of our society", referring to Generations Z and Alpha, and said that she would "render the remainder of my statement using language they're familiar with".[10] Using slang terms, Payman criticised the government's plans to ban under-14s from social media and closed by saying that "Though some of you cannot yet vote, I hope that, when you do, it will be in a more goated Australia for a government with more aura. Skibidi!"[11] The speech, written by a 21-year-old staff member, Ezra Isma, was labeled by some as an example of "brainrot" outside the online world.[11]

Brainrot was named Oxford Word of the Year in 2024, beating other words like demure and romantasy.[4][3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Roy, Jessica (2024-06-13). "If You Know What 'Brainrot' Means, You Might Already Have It". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  2. ^ "Why teenagers are deliberately seeking brain rot on TikTok | Psyche Ideas". Psyche. Retrieved 2024-11-13.
  3. ^ a b c d e Rufo, Yasmin (2024). "Losing your mind looking at memes? The dictionary has a word for that". BBC.
  4. ^ a b c d "'Brain rot' named Oxford Word of the Year 2024". Oxford University Press. Oxford. 2 December 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b Prema, Shivé (8 February 2024). "What is 'brain rot'? Do you have it?". SBS News. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  6. ^ North, Anna (2024-09-05). "iPad kids speak up". Vox. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  7. ^ Roy, Jessica (June 13, 2024). "If You Know What 'Brainrot' Means, You Might Already Have It". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "Parents and Gen Alpha kids are having unintelligible convos because of 'brainrot' language". NBC News. 2024-08-10. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  9. ^ Press-Reynolds, Kieran (25 June 2024). "How brainrot humour infected the internet with surreal gibberish". Dazed. Archived from the original on 26 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  10. ^ "'Skibidi': Payman opposes social age limit in speech to gen Z and gen Alpha". YouTube. 11 September 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  11. ^ a b Weedston, Lindsey (2024-09-13). "Fatima Payman Gen Z Slang Speech Declared 'Brainrot'". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 2024-09-16.


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