Each year Oxford University Press selects a word of the year that reflects “the moods and conversations that have helped shape the past year.” The word for 2024 is not exactly pleasant. In fact, it is rather disturbing: brain rot.
The lexicographers at Oxford define brain rot 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.”
An old term with a new twist
According to Oxford, brain rot is not a new term. It was first used by Henry David Thoreau in his 1854 book Walden, where he reflects on how the public prefers simple ideas to more complex and nuanced ones:
“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?”
Today’s younger generations have adopted Thoreau’s concept and applied it to online culture as a label for content that lacks substance or real value. It also refers to the effects of such content on readers.
Is brain rot real?
Oxford University Press stresses that brain rot is not a clinical definition of a disease. However, there are definite signs that the overuse of social media has had a negative impact on human cognition, especially among younger generations.
Attention spans have seen a drastic decrease, while retention of information and memory also appear to be declining. According to one study in the scientific journal Nature, problematic internet use (PUI) may even be shrinking the amount of grey matter in our brains.
While there is much more to be learned, anyone who has spent too much time scrolling through mindless content on the web can attest to the negative impact such material has on our mental and emotional wellbeing.
The remedy for brain rot is fairly straightforward:
- Reduce screen time
- Temper consumption of social media
- Choose online sites carefully
- Participate in mentally stimulating activities
- Engage in physical exercise
Of course, Aleteia also recommends paying close attention to one’s spiritual life: communing with God in prayer, serving the needs of the less fortunate, and fostering deeper relationships with family, friends, and community. These values are as important in our own time as they were in Thoreau’s day – or at any moment in human history.
Runners-up and alternative winners
Oxford lexicographers and staffers choose five words or terms each year and then submit them to the public for a vote. Among the other candidates for 2024 were romantasy, slop, and dynamic pricing.
Other websites also select their own words of the year. For Merriam-Webster it was polarization, while Dictionary.com, which uses the Random House Unabridged Dictionary as its primary source, chose the word demure as its 2024 winner.
