“Brainrot,” the 2024 Oxford Word Of The Year, is defined as “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of (online) material considered to be trivial or unchallenging,” according to The Oxford University Press. The increasing popularity of so-called “brainrot” content among teenagers is detrimental to both the individuals consuming it and society as a whole.
Internet slang terms like “skibidi,” “sigma,” “gyatt,” and “rizz” often come to mind when brain rot is mentioned. Though many teens see this terminology as humorous, it indicates how brain rot affects language and makes words lose meaning. None of these terms have well-defined meanings and can be used in many different ways to convey the same message—describing something as “skibidi” or “sigma” has virtually the same, muddled meaning with positive connotations.
It could be argued that this is true for all slang words; however, this particular subset of slang has dominated the internet, and our lives in a much more extreme way than others with how quickly it has spread. It is common to see variations of the same three brainrot words in social media comment sections. This new type of slang is causing diction to lose its value and uniqueness as more and more people begin to narrow their lexicons and decrease the diversity of their word choices.
Additionally, many slang terms that originate from the internet today trivialize problematic topics — in brain rot, nothing is ever that serious. For example, take the name of rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs. Combs will stand trial in May 2025 for sex trafficking and racketeering, according to the British Broadcasting Company. However, the internet has made a meme out of this crime, with Combs’ name and the term “diddy party” being used as a piece of humorous, “harmless” brain rot content.
Further on this topic, the threat “I hope you get touched,” referring to one being sexually assaulted, has been made popular through the internet. It is treated as a meaningless, harmless threat that one could administer to a friend. This watering down of gravely problematic behaviors makes those behaviors more normalized and desensitizes us all as a society towards them. As a consequence, these problematic behaviors are treated as much less serious than they actually are, diminishing the gravity of the action. There is also no justifiable reason for them to be considered funny and insensitive to victims.
In addition, consuming the short-form content that dominates the internet these days— from Instagram reels to TikTok videos—lowers one’s attention span, according to the National Library of Medicine. The addictive nature of this content can also take time away from more meaningful activities for an individual, whether it be engaging in a hobby, talking to a friend, or focusing on one’s academics.
To combat these effects of brain rot, we need to be mindful and more sensitive. When we consume content online, it is important to consume valuable content that truly entertains us or provides us with some insight. We must also consider the implications of the terminology and content we consume and actively try to diversify our worldviews and vocabularies.
In addition, we should all try to consume a wide variety of media that isn’t limited to only short-form content to avoid negative effects on our attention spans — movies, shows, and books are easily accessible alternatives to consider. Overall, though consuming brainrot content seems like a relatively harmless action, the implications of overconsumption of this content are severe, and we must all be proactive about avoiding them.
