Summary
“Brain rot,” describing the mental decline linked to overconsumption of trivial online content, was named Oxford’s 2024 word of the year.
The term reflects growing concerns about the impact of endless social media scrolling, especially among younger generations like Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Chosen by public vote and expert analysis, it beat finalists like “demure” and “dynamic pricing.”
First used in 1854, “brain rot” resurfaced in 2024 amid debates on humanity’s relationship with technology.
Written English has three different conventions for representing compound words: closed (milkshake), hyphenated (cold-blooded), and open (green bean).
When certain separate words commonly used together start to blend logically into one concept, it makes sense to define the new “word” separately (particularly when that concept diverges from the separate definitions).