Oxford University Press has officially chosen “brain rot” as its 2024 Word of the Year.
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 (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging,” or “something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration,” the publishing house states on its website.
According to the publishing house, the term “brain rot” gained new prominence with a 230% increase in usage frequency from 2023 to 2024.
According to the publisher, the first recorded use of “brain rot” was in Henry David Thoreau‘s book Walden, “which reports his experiences of living a simple lifestyle in the natural world.”
“The term has taken on new significance in the digital age, especially over the past 12 months. Initially gaining traction on social media platforms, particularly among Gen Z and Gen Alpha communities on TikTok, ‘brain rot’ is now seeing more widespread use, such as in mainstream journalism, amidst concerns about the negative impact of overconsuming online content,” Oxford said.
“Looking back at the Oxford Word of the Year over the past two decades, you can see society’s growing preoccupation with how our virtual lives are evolving, the way internet culture is permeating so much of who we are and what we talk about,” Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, said.
“Last year’s winning word, ‘rizz’, was an interesting example of how language is increasingly formed, shaped, and shared within online communities. ‘Brain rot’ speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time.”