Brain Rot

As the year 2024 drew to a close, Oxford University Press announced that the Word of the Year was “brain rot.” This was the result of a vote of more than 37,000 people who chose it from a short list of six words that reflected “the moods and conversations that have helped shape the past year.” Never mind that it is actually two words.

Oxford Press explained in the Word of the Year announcement that “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 considered to be trivial or unchallenging.” 

Turns out the first use of “brain rot” was in 1854 by Henry David Thoreau in his book Walden. Thoreau was criticizing society’s preference for simple ideas over complex ones that may be interpreted in multiple ways. Brain rot was not the 1854 word of the year, so let’s move on.

In the 2024 announcement, Oxford Press was more specifically pointing to the impact of “excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media.” Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, adds, “I find it fascinating that 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.” In case you are not tuned in to the generations, Gen Z are people born 1995-2012, and Gen Alpha kids are born from 2013 to the present.

Observing my teenage grandchildren (all Gen Z or Gen Alpha creatures) spending vast amounts of time on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and other sites, I catch the intent of the Oxford decision. But I, too, feel some brain rot, and I do not frequent these sites. However, I do receive emails from such sites as Word Smarts, Interesting Facts, Word Daily, and Things You Didn’t Know. Now, how can you possibly pass up Things You Didn’t Know?

One entry I read on one of these sites asked, “Why is a week seven days?” When I clicked on that, I realized I had been baited. The actual article was “25 Everyday Mysteries Solved.” I admit I did not have the energy for 25 mysteries, so I skipped that entry.

How could anyone not open “8 Lesser-Known Facts About Princess Diana?” Did you know that Diana left school at 16? And did you know that she went clubbing once with Freddie Mercury? Now I know, and I also know six other important facts about her. But I forget what those were.

Since birdwatching is a hobby of mine, I did read “Why Birds Don’t Get Electrocuted on Power Lines.” I actually knew the answer, but I read this offering anyhow. I was rewarded. I already understood that a bird does not complete an electrical circuit perched on a wire, so it does not get zapped. But sometimes if the bird has a particularly wet and voluminous excretion, that may create a circuit and electrocute Tweetie. Ouch.

Some of these email articles make me wonder who comes up with the titles. For instance, “How to Tell If Someone Is Ignoring Your Texts.” I kind of think this might define brain rot better than Casper Grathwohl did as cited earlier in this article.

Information from these sites really might improve your life in some way. I read one titled “8 Crunchy Facts About Breakfast Cereal.” It was underwhelming to learn that Cheerios used to be called Cheerioats. I admit that I didn’t care, but then I read that Froot Loops are all the same flavor. Hmm. I used to think the yellow ones tasted better than the red ones.

You might have been ignorant of the “6 Satisfying Facts about Soda.” Well, I learned that Pepsi pioneered the use of 2-liter bottles in 1970. I also now know that 7UP in 1936 contained the mood stabilizer Lithium. That was removed in 1948, so now 7UP will not alter your mood unless a burp does that for you.

Let’s reflect for a moment on these tantalizing emails. Are they a dangerous source of modern-day brain rot for Boomers or those even older? Or is brain rot solely a byproduct of scrolling social media for hours a day? I guess I really do not know. From now on, I am not going to open Interesting Facts or similar sites. I am going to spend my time watching videos of dachshunds doing cute things, guys catching huge fish, young folk doing dance routines, or would-be chefs making things I cannot identify. I don’t think my grandchildren’s brains are particularly rotten, so I guess I’ll be OK.

Wonder what the 2025 Word of the Year will be.