Discover what lies behind the term ‘brainrot.’ Learn how it can shape our digital habits in the era of the Alpha generation!
What is brainrot?
This is a popular colloquial term for low-quality online content. It also refers to the negative psychological and cognitive effects that excessive consumption of such content can cause. The term suggests that prolonged exposure to such content can lead to brain ‘rot.’ This refers to a deterioration of cognitive abilities, such as the ability to concentrate and think critically.
The term ‘brainrot’ appeared in the online sphere in 2004. However, it only gained popularity as an internet meme between 2020 and 2023. Now, in 2024, we mainly use the term to refer to the digital habits of the Alpha generation. Critics argue that this generation this generation is too immersed in online culture. I would like to thank my students in the Educational challenges of media technologies lecture for their inspiration with this term.
Users often express feeling overwhelmed by an onslaught of information or cultural trends. Consequently, they convey this feeling by using the term. For example, memes, viral videos, and trends can lead to compulsive engagement. Ultimately, this compulsive engagement negatively affects cognitive abilities and overall well-being.
Brainrot in contemporary media studies
It must be acknowledged that there is not yet much research directly on the brainrot. Perhaps this is because it is more of a journalistic term for the consequences of excessive and unreflective use of the Internet. Hence, most of the publications I reviewed are journalistic articles. The documented interviews with teenagers provide particularly valuable insights, revealing their complex attitudes towards media, especially TikTok, which they see as a source of both entertainment and knowledge (Owens, 2024).
I drew attention to one study. The researchers (Anhar et all., 2024) analyse the impact of TikTok on the language development of the Alpha generation in Indonesia, focusing on children born after 2010 who are growing up in a digital environment. Using a qualitative approach, the authors conducted in-depth interviews, observations and content analysis to explore how TikTok affects vocabulary, new terms and communication patterns. The results indicate that TikTok contributes to the emergence of neologisms and slang terms such as ‘rizz’, ‘brainrot’ and ‘sigma’, which are rapidly gaining popularity among young people. While this trend enriches vocabulary, it also raises concerns about a decline in formal language proficiency. The study provides valuable insights into the dynamics of language in the digital age and its implications for language education policy.
Bibliography
Anhar, A., Khoirunnisaa, K., Septianti, L., & Asmawati, M. (2024). Pengaruh Tiktok Terhadap Perkembangan Bahasa di Kalangan Generasi Alpha. Indo-MathEdu Intellectuals Journal, 5 (5), 6341-6346. http://doi.org/10.54373/imeij.v5i5.1994
Owens, E. (2024, October 8). Why teenagers are deliberately seeking brain rot on TikTok. Psyche. https://psyche.co/ideas/why-teenagers-are-deliberately-seeking-brain-rot-on-tiktok