The Oxford word of the year has been around for over a century. It is the term “brain rot”, and was first recorded usage was by Thoreau in his book “Walden”. It’s defined as that “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”. So, yes, doomscrolling. Yes, social media. Yes, a move away from intellectual consumption to garbage. Perhaps that will serve as motivation to you to consider something more meaningful to do with your time.
Oxford University Press (OUP) has named “brain rot” as the Oxford Word of the Year 2024.
Found at nypost.com
