‘Brain rot’: Oxford word of the year 2024 reflects ‘trivial’ use of social media

Expression chosen after public vote describes impact of endless scrolling of mind-numbing content

Summary

“Brain rot,” describing the mental decline linked to overconsumption of trivial online content, was named Oxford’s 2024 word of the year.

The term reflects growing concerns about the impact of endless social media scrolling, especially among younger generations like Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

Chosen by public vote and expert analysis, it beat finalists like “demure” and “dynamic pricing.”

First used in 1854, “brain rot” resurfaced in 2024 amid debates on humanity’s relationship with technology.

14 comments

English is not my first language, but Im pretty sure those are 2 words.
- Usually I see it as the compound word "brainrot". Not sure why they decided to add a space there.
  
  Apparently 2019 was "climate emergency". So they use phrases as the "word" of the year pretty regularly.
  
  Forgot english can "cheat" like that.
- You should see German, where an entire paragraph of text can be one word.
  
  An entire paragraph!! lol
  
  I do have seen very long compound words in german tho.
- Written English has three different conventions for representing compound words: closed (milkshake), hyphenated (cold-blooded), and open (green bean).
  
  When certain separate words commonly used together start to blend logically into one concept, it makes sense to define the new "word" separately (particularly when that concept diverges from the separate definitions).
- A fine example of how stupid people have become.
No one wants to bring up education.
Hasn’t this term been around since before social media?
- Square eyes
- First used in 1854, “brain rot” resurfaced in 2024 amid debates on humanity’s relationship with technology.
Oxford chooses "brain rot", a phrase referring to social media, therefore ensuring they trend on social media.

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