Oxford Names "Brain Rot" 2024 Word of the Year

LONDON, U.K. — The Oxford Word of the Year for 2024 is a term that has gained significant online attention about the effects of low-quality online content, especially on social media.

Oxford University Press announced the selection on December 2, revealing that the term’s usage increased by 230% between 2023 and 2024. "Brain rot" refers to the supposed decline in a person's mental or intellectual state from consuming trivial or unchallenging material, particularly on platforms like TikTok and X, where people frequently discuss the impacts of excessive screen time and mindless content.

Oxford editors explained that the term has captured a growing public anxiety over the consequences of consuming large amounts of superficial online material. It’s trendy among younger generations, with over 37,000 votes in the Word of the Year poll.

The term itself dates back to 1854 when Henry David Thoreau first used it in his book Walden. However, its modern meaning has evolved to describe the mental toll caused by digital media overload specifically. Today, it’s commonly used to describe the mental fatigue many people feel from endless hours of passive content consumption online.

Oxford editors say, “The rise of "brain rot" reflects a broader conversation about the impact of technology on mental well-being. In a year marked by discussions about social media's influence on attention spans and cognitive health, the term encapsulates public concern about the quality of content we consume in an increasingly digital world.”