Oxford Selects 'Brain Rot' as 2024 Word of the Year

Oxford University Press has named 'brain rot' as the Word of the Year for 2024, reflecting growing concerns about the intellectual degradation associated with excessive consumption of online content. Selected through a public vote involving over 37,000 participants, 'brain rot' saw a 230% increase in usage from 2023 to 2024, especially on social media platforms like TikTok. The term, which first appeared in Henry David Thoreau's 1854 work 'Walden', has evolved to describe the negative impacts of low-quality digital content on mental health and cognitive abilities. Language experts define 'brain rot' as the supposed deterioration of mental state due to trivial online content. Its rising prominence marks a significant cultural response to the challenges posed by the digital age. The selection of 'brain rot' from a shortlist of six words underscores a societal shift towards acknowledging the consequences of our digital consumption habits.