England’s prestigious Oxford University has found its word of the year for 2024 – and it is, aptly enough, “brain rot”.
The word was chosen from a shortlist of six, which also included “demure”, “dynamic pricing”, “lore”, “romantasy”, and “slop”.
More than 37,000 people voted across a two-week period.
The university defined “brain rot” 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.
Also: something characterised as likely to lead to such deterioration”.
The university found that the first recorded use of “brain rot” was in 1854 in Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden, in which the author discusses his experience of a stripped-back life among nature.
“While England endeavours to cure the potato rot, will not any endeavour to cure the brain-rot – which prevails so much more widely and fatally?” Walden wrote.
The term in the digital age has come to widely signify the impact of consuming huge quantities of online content, particularly on social media.
Oxford University found the use of the term increased 230 per cent between 2023 and 2024.
“Looking back at the Oxford Word of the Year over the past two decades, you can see society’s growing preoccupation with how our virtual lives are evolving, the way internet culture is permeating so much of who we are and what we talk about,” president of Oxford languages Casper Grathwohl said.
“Last year’s winning word, ‘rizz’, was an interesting example of how language is increasingly formed, shaped, and shared within online communities.”
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The increased usage of “brain rot” also began online, particularly among Generation Z and Generation Alpha users on social media such as TikTok.
“‘Brain rot’ speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time,” Grathwohl said.
“It feels like a rightful next chapter in the cultural conversation about humanity and technology.
“It’s not surprising that so many voters embraced the term, endorsing it as our choice this year.”
Grathwohl also said he was “fascinated” the term had been adopted by younger internet users, given their online communities are the main creators of the content to which “brain rot” refers.
“It demonstrates a somewhat cheeky self-awareness in the younger generations about the harmful impact of social media that they’ve inherited,” he said.
