What is 'Brain Rot'? Understanding the internet's favourite term for mental decay

In the endlessly scrolling world of digital media, the phrase "I have brain rot" has gone from ironic TikTok caption to collective cry for help. Whether it's hours spent watching absurd Skibidi Toilet clips, meme marathons, or doomscrolling past bedtime, 'brain rot' has become a shorthand for how modern media consumption is taking a toll on our minds.

And now. It's officially for the record. The Oxford University Press had declared "brain rot" as its 2024 Word of the Year, defining it 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."

Fitting then, that this very online term has transcended irony to become a real-world concern - one increasingly backed by science.

Also Read: How Likes and Emojis on war, death and disaster posts reveal our broken online empathy

Not Just a Meme: A Mental Warning Sign

'Brain Rot' first emerged from Internet meme culture, gaining traction on platforms like Tumblr, Twitter (now X), and especially TikTok, where it is now used to describe the after-effects of consuming chaotic or overstimulating content.

But few people are aware of just how literal the effects might be. Decades of research now suggests that technology may be actually deteriorating our mental capacities - and it's happening faster than we realize.

Science Catches Up With the Scroll

Almost 20 years ago, scientists studying the effects of a new invention called "email" found that constant information overload caused participants' IQs to drop an average of 10 points - a sharper decline that those observed in cannabis users. That was before smartphones put the internet in our pockets.

Now, with Gen Z spending between 5.5 to 6.5 hours online daily, the problem has grown exponentially. A growing body of research warns of real cognitive consequences, as reported by The Guardian.

- A landmark 2022 study in Nature Communications found that heavy media multitasking is associated with reduced grey matter in the anterior cingulate cortex, the brain region linked to attention and emotional intelligence.

- A meta-review from Harvard Medical School, King's College London, and the University of Oxford highlights how online overexposure is shrinking grey matter, weakening memory, distorting cognitive processes, and damaging social recognition.

- In 2018, memory experts at Stanford University concluded that multi-platform users - those who switch constantly between apps - show shortened attention spans and impaired memory.

The damage is especially pronounced in young, developing brains. Some researchers have even termed the phenomenon "digital dementia" - a chronic condition caused by too much tech too soon.

Also Read: Gen Z Explainer: The concept of 'user disengagement'

A Perfect Storm of Cognitive Degradation

According to MIT neuroscientist Earl Miller, we are currently living in a "perform storm of cognitive degradation." And that data backs him up, according to a report by The Guardian.

Dr. Gloria Mark, professor of informatics at the University of California, and author of Attention Span, has spent two decades measuring how tech affects our home, the report added.

- In 2004, she found the average time a person could focus on a screen was 2.5 minutes.

- In 2012, that dropped to 75 seconds.

- By 2018, it had plummeted to just 47 seconds.

"This is something I think we should be very concerned about as a society," she said on a podcast in 2023.

Designed to Rot?

The most sinister aspect? This isn't an accident. Experts argue that brain rot is by design. Social media platforms use features like infinite scroll, likened to the "bottomless soup bowl" experiment - where participants keep eating because the bowl refills endlessly.

Similarly, endlessly refreshing feeds hijack the brain's dopaminergic reward system, creating addictive seeking loops that are hard to break.

A Glimmer of Hope

But there's good news: self-awareness is rising. The term "brain rot" may have been popularised by the very people most vulnerable to it - young users - but it also signals a growing consciousness of its dangers.

There are green shoots of change:

- Teenagers are turning to "dumbphones" to reduce screen time.

- Movements advocating for smartphone-free childhoods are gaining traction.

- Even popular creators are openly taking digital detoxes or speaking out against algorithmic fatigue.

A 2023 University of Glasgow study showed that participants who took short, structured digital detoxes experiences improved attention, better memory, and less anxiety in a week.

So perhaps there's deeper meaning in today's most chaotic meme content - from Skibidi Toilet to hyper-edited cat videos.

In its absurdity, it reveals the absurdity of the way we're consuming media. Human intelligence, in this moment, has two choices: rise up - or flush itself down the algorithmic drain.

Also Read: Gen Z Explainer: The rise of 'sleepmaxxing', a sleep revolution or overhyped trend?