Oxford’s word of the year is a modern condition familiar to most of us

There’s a name for that feeling you get after spending too long scrolling aimlessly, and Oxford University Press (OUP) has chosen it as its word for the year for 2024.

“Brain rot” took the title in a vote in which more than 37,000 people participated, as well as public commentary and analysis of OUP’s language data.

In a statement released Monday, OUP, which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary, defined “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.”

While the use of “brain rot” rose 230% this year, it actually first appeared more than a century ago.

According to OUP, it was first used by author Henry David Thoreau in his book “Walden” as he criticised society’s tendency to devalue complicated ideas in favour of simple ones.

“While England endeavours to cure the potato rot,” wrote Thoreau, “will not any endeavour to cure the brain-rot – which prevails so much more widely and fatally?”

All these years later, it seems brain rot is well and truly established.

The term has gained traction over the past year, however, especially as worries grow about the impact of over-consuming low-quality content online.

Earlier this year, a behavioral healthcare provider in the United States began offering treatment for brain rot, describing it as a condition of “mental fogginess, lethargy, reduced attention span, and cognitive decline.”

The healthcare company cited doomscrolling and social media addiction as examples of brain rot behavior, which could be prevented by setting limits on screen time or doing a digital detox.

“’Brain rot’ speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time,” said Casper Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, in Monday’s announcement.

“I also find it fascinating that the word ‘brain rot’ has been adopted by Gen Z and Gen Alpha… These communities have amplified the expression through social media channels, the very place said to cause ‘brain rot,’” he added.

“It demonstrates a somewhat cheeky self-awareness in the younger generations about the harmful impact of the social media that they’ve inherited.”

The word beat out five other shortlisted contenders, which included “lore,” meaning a body of (supposed) facts, background information and anecdotes required to fully understand something; “romantasy,” a portmanteau for literature combining elements of romantic fiction and fantasy; and “slop,” which refers to low-quality content generated by artificial intelligence.

“Demure,” a word that went viral over the summer following a popular TikTok video, was also shortlisted. The word, which means being reserved in appearance or behavior, had already been named word of the year by Dictionary.com last week.

Last year, Oxford chose “rizz” as its word of 2023. Derived from the word charisma, it refers to a person’s ability to attract a romantic partner.