More than 37,000 people voted for the term out of six shortlisted by Oxford
The Word of the Year has finally been decided, and according to Oxford and the voting public, “brain rot” is the term that best encapsulates 2024.
The Oxford Word of the Year is determined by Oxford’s lexicographers and the public. Every year, experts analyze data and trends and come up with a shortlist of words that best reflect the world’s cultural zeitgeist of the year.
Among the words shortlisted by Oxford this year are “demure,” “dynamic pricing,” “lore,” “romantasy,” and “slop.” “Brain rot” emerged as the Word of the Year after more than 37,000 voters chose the word out of the shortlist.
“Brain rot” is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as the “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration.”
READ: Decoding Gen Z and Alpha slang
Although brain rot has gained prominence on social media this year (especially on TikTok), it was actually first used in 1854, in Henry David Thoreau’s book “Walden.”
For a society that is now perpetually online, the term is often used in funny or self-deprecating posts, especially in reference to content that is often nonsensical, bizarre, or basically just unproductive (aka does not contribute in any way to mental enrichment).
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With “brain rot”’s widespread usage online, it has now also transcended social media territory. The word is now also being used in the news, especially in reports on “societal concerns about the negative impact of overconsuming online content,” Oxford writes.
Concerns over “brain rot” have become so widespread too that mental health organizations, websites, and blogs have also been producing content to counter it, talking about how to identify if you’re experiencing it (reduced attention span, cognitive decline, difficulty in recalling or organizing information, are some “symptoms”), and how to “cure” it. Often, the “cure” involves mental wellness techniques, such as meditation, reduced screen time, and “touching grass” (aka literally stepping outside, connecting with nature and the real world, making use of your physical senses).
“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,” Oxford Languages president Casper Grathwohl says.
“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. It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology. It’s not surprising that so many voters embraced the term, endorsing it as our choice this year.”
Grathwohl continues, “I find it fascinating that the term ‘brain rot’ has been adopted by Gen Z and Gen Alpha, those communities largely responsible for the use and creation of the digital content the term refers to. These communities have amplified the expression through social media channels, the very place said to cause ‘brain rot.’ It demonstrates a somewhat cheeky self-awareness in the younger generations about the harmful impact of social media that they’ve inherited.”
Other dictionaries and language institutions have also come up with their Words of the Year for 2024. Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year is “manifest,” while Collins English Dictionary’s word of the year is “brat,” in homage to the hit Charli XCX album and the pop culture phenomenon it soon spawned (remember “brat summer”?). Meanwhile, Dictionary.com designated another TikTok trend-born word as its word of the year: “demure.”
