When I went home for winter break, I was immediately hit with a question from my sister: “Are you raising your ya-ya-ya?” When I met her with confusion, she immediately called me old. She is seven years younger than me. Although she claims this is an example of “purple-heart core” (a category of recent memes grouped with a “purple heart” emoji), I, as an “old” person would place it into the category of “brain rot,” which was named the Oxford English Dictionary’s 2024 word of the year on Dec. 2, 2024. Despite its apparent absurdity, the morbid silliness of brain rot summarizes a painful self-awareness in Generation Z (Gen Z) and Generation Alpha (Gen Alpha) culture.
The Oxford English Dictionary describes brain rot 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.” There are many ways to define brain rot, but the content is widely known as leading to sheer confusion and almost disappointment in society among viewers of it.
So, does brain rot actually rot the brain? I have concluded that extended time on social media and brain rot go hand-in-hand. To understand the intricacies of the rhetoric presented by brain rot, one must spend enough time on social media to see the origins of memes and how certain brain rot words are adapted into daily vocabulary. According to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent, for teens, more than three hours a day of scrolling on social media seems to double their risk of depression. As Gupta notes, this is especially alarming considering that the average screen time for teens is five hours a day. Although brain rot itself may not be poking holes in the brain, social media is.
Social media’s negative effects on mental health are not surprising. We all feel it with that prick of pain when liking posts from a hangout we were not invited to. I remember feeling the fear of missing out (FOMO) last year after a football game that I went to, simply because other people’s posts were more aesthetic than my experience.
The term “brain rot” puts forth images of zombie creatures addicted to their screens. The morbidness of the term shows that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are very aware of the downsides of excessive social media use. Brain rot is used as an insult towards people who spend too much time on their phones, not a brag. Despite this awareness, the term still has a silliness to it. Similar terms like “sigma” and “skibidi” are fully aware of their own ridiculousness. Brain rot’s impacts might not be at the forefront of everyone’s mind but laughing while saying “Ohio Rizzler” is something we can all understand.
At first glance, Oxford’s choice to make “brain rot” the word of the year following “rizz” in 2023 and “goblin mode” in 2022, might suggest that Gen Z and Gen Alpha live without a care, however, being a part of and understanding those generations, I would argue the opposite. Combined, Gen Z and Gen Alpha range in ages from newborn to 30. Those who are old enough to take a stand for social issues do so, showing care about everything, all the time.
The same platforms that gave rise to brain rot also give Gen Z an opportunity to protest. This generation is louder than ever, showing higher rates of activism than any other generation with most of our activism happening on social media. Many people argue that “ignorance is bliss” and being well-informed comes with stress. Yet, it’s not like everything was fine until one day climate change and social inequality magically appeared. These issues have existed for generations, yet the little rectangles in our pockets are successful in bringing every issue to our constant attention. While understanding the problems with our world helps us deal with them, carrying that weight all the time is heavy. Brain rot summarizes how Gen Z and Gen Alpha deal with that.
Gen Z and Gen Alpha use humor as a coping mechanism. What may appear to be making light of issues is a masked cry for help. Gen Alpha, but Gen Z especially, is aware that social media is rotting our brains, that we cannot afford healthcare and climate change is rapidly altering the way we live. To manage day-to-day life, Gen Z uses humor to stay afloat. The people who voted brain rot the Word of the Year are the same group of people that generated memes of United Healthcare Chief Executive Officer Brian Thompson’s alleged killer Luigi Mangione in response to their upset with the American health insurance system.
Ultimately, in the face of hardship, we can either cry or laugh, and we have chosen to laugh. The question is, in 2025, will Gen Z and Gen Alpha continue to use their self-awareness to do something about the problems presented in our world, or will they laugh in the face of all the pressure?