“Brain rot” is the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of trivial material considered or something likely to lead to such deterioration, according to the Oxford dictionary.
A self-proclaimed victim of brain rot, when Alejandro Proano joined the Idaho Air National Guard, he became familiar with lots of acronyms, abbreviations and new slang. But all the military lingo never struck him like brain rot did in 2024.
“Definitely early 2024,” Proano, 22, said when asked when he first heard “brain rot.” Proano said he didn’t start using the term until more recently, though. When asked to describe it, he struggled to come up with a definition.
The Oxford definition of “brain rot” is the “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration.”
Brain rot functions as a noun and an adjective — “brain rot content” is particularly silly or ridiculous content that has little value to offer its consumer. “Brain rot” itself can be a state of mind.
A common trait of brian rot content is the use of AI in its creation — Reddit posts narrated by AI voice acting, deep fakes of famous people and characters. Some videos are completely AI-generated, showing characters like the Grinch being prepared for knee surgery, referring to a popular meme about the “Blinch,” a blue Grinch, being excited about getting knee surgery.
Ann Campbell, Chair of the English Department at Boise State, said her course covering Jane Austen discusses the value of print media to counter the effects of social media — brain rot.
“I think coming out of COVID, we still see the aftereffects of people just watching one more video,” Campbell said. “Your mind disengages. Your mind looks different, the way that it’s functioning, from times of repose and reflection such as meditation or having read for half an hour.”
“In times of repose and reflection, such as meditating or having read for half an hour, it goes into a state of relaxation and receptivity. But if you’re taking in constant stimulus, it doesn’t require much processing, it feels like exhaustion.”
Campbell thinks it’s why we can feel exhausted after “doing nothing”. On the internet, some people call it “frying their dopamine receptors”.
Boise State graduate Jacob Paveloff said it’s easier to find on Instagram than on TikTok due to the platforms’ differing algorithms.
“On Instagram, it’ll pop up, it just throws it [brain rot] in the random mix and you just kind of see it,” Paveloff said.
Paveloff said he usually sees brain rot content when his friends send it to him or in their group chat.
Following 2023’s Oxford Word of the Year “rizz”, brain rot may be part of a trend that sees meme or internet culture dominating new vernacular each year.
New brain rot content is coming out constantly, like the “lock in alien” that came to prominence around the end of 2024. So far, there is no reason to believe brain rot is slowing down for 2025.
