Image by HoaLuu on Pixabay · Pixabay License
Brain rot
Sign in to saveIn Internet culture, the term brain rot describes digital media deemed to be of low quality or value, to such a degree that it is ironically spoken of as causing harm to the viewer. The term more broadly refers to the harmful cognitive effects associated with excessive or disordered use of digital and social media, particularly short-form entertainment AI-generated content, and doomscrolling. Popularized by Generation Z and Generation Alpha social media users, the term has since entered mainstream usage. In 2024 it was termed Oxford Dictionary's "Word of the Year".
Wikipedia views (30d)
56,420 totalvia Wikimedia Pageviews API
~8 min read
Encyclopedic overview
In Internet culture, the term brain rot (often written as brainrot) describes digital media deemed to be of low quality or value. More broadly, the term refers to the harmful cognitive effects associated with excessive or disordered use of digital and social media, particularly short-form entertainment, AI-generated content, and doomscrolling. Popularized by Generation Z and Alpha on social media, the term has since entered mainstream usage. In 2024, it was named Oxford Dictionary's "Word of the Year".
Origin and usage
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Brain rot” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.