Do you know what “brain rot” means? This English term, which can be translated into French as “brain rot”, has just been elected word of the year 2024 by the Oxford University Press. It refers to mental degradation or due to overconsumption of content that is not intellectually stimulating online, reports the Time.
It is particularly used today regarding the effects of social networks on cognitive health, a worrying and growing phenomenon. For some researchers, this term is the “symptom of [notre] time”, testifies psychologist Andrew Przybylski, professor at the University of Oxford, even if “there is no proof that ‘brain rot’ is a real health phenomenon”.
An illustration of current concerns
The frequency of use of the term “brain rot” increased by 230% between 2023 and 2024, especially among younger people. Several experts have pointed out the irony of the situation, the latest generations being precisely the most consumers of content of low interest which risks rotting their brain, specifies the BBC.
However, its origin is much older. The expression was first used in 1854 by the philosopher Henry David Thoreau in his work Walden. He then criticized society’s tendency to favor simple ideas over complex ideas.
The word “brain rot” is added to a list of terms, highlighted each year, which reflect contemporary social and technological concerns. In 2019, the expression put forward was “climate emergency”. It was followed in 2020 by “containment” and in 2021 by “vax”.
