‘Brain rot’ named Oxford Word of the Year 2024

Oxford University Press (OUP) has announced “brain rot” as its Word of the Year for 2024, following a public vote that drew over 37,000 participants.
The term, which saw a remarkable 230 percent rise in usage between 2023 and 2024, reflects growing societal concerns about the effects of consuming low-quality online content.
Defined as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state” due to trivial digital material, “brain rot” encapsulates anxieties about social media’s impact, particularly on younger generations. According to OUP, the term gained traction on platforms like TikTok, with Gen Z and Gen Alpha using it humorously to describe their own habits, while mental health experts highlight its serious implications.
In 2024, “brain rot” is used to describe both the cause and effect of this, referring to low-quality, low-value content found on social media and the internet, as well as the subsequent negative impact that consuming this type of content is perceived to have on an individual or society.
Interestingly, the earliest recorded use of “brain rot” dates back to 1854 in Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. Thoreau criticised society’s preference for oversimplified ideas over intellectual depth, coining the phrase as a critique of cultural decline.
In today’s digital landscape, “brain rot” has evolved into a critique of viral trends, including Alexey Gerasimov’s popular Skibidi Toilet series and the “Only in Ohio” memes, both of which contributed to what OUP calls a “brain rot language”. Terms like “skibidi” and “Ohio” have emerged from online communities to denote nonsensical or embarrassing situations.
This year, mainstream discourse on the term expanded to include its potential mental health risks, especially for children. Even a US mental health centre issued guidelines on avoiding “brain rot”.