The Jambar
Whether it’s ballerinas with coffee cup heads, memes about audacious behavior in Ohio or demented, grinning heads popping out of toilets, brain rot is the technological phenomenon that has Generation Z’s and Generation Alpha’s cognitive function circling the drain — unironically.
Recognized as the Oxford Word of the Year in 2024, brain rot refers to a suspected decline in intellectual or mental ability from people’s overconsumption of mindless unchallenging content found on social media or other online platforms.
That sinking feeling many students feel of decreased attention spans, a constant desire for more stimulation and a decline in the meaningfulness of in-person experiences is now undeniable, but why?
According to a study from the National Library of Medicine, social media often supplies low-quality content to users that promotes instant gratification and increases the brain’s dopamine response. The extra dopamine can drive users to find and consume more stimulating content, usually hours on end, and often decrease how long people can pay attention. Sound familiar?
The same study also found excessive screen time can impact not only mental health and attention spans, but also people’s ability to focus and remember what they’ve learned, leading to a decrease in cognitive abilities. Studies do not have to show that focus and memory are essential for college students who base their academic goals on learning.
But besides attention and learning difficulties, brain rot can also impact what people gain from interactions with others offline. Per the American Heart Association, the increased screen time reduces the meaningfulness of in-person interactions with others — the mental and physical reactions that spark a deeper-felt experience.
Brain rot feels like a clog in the cognitive pipes, but luckily, people have significant power to reverse the effects. Whether trying offline activities, reducing screen time or following technological detox methods, the solutions all start with choice.
It might sound cliche, but choice is empowering. Choosing to expose the brain to other high-quality, stimulating activities, such as playing an instrument, making art or exercising — like Newport Institute suggests — can improve cognitive functions. In fact, choosing to read this editorial is a start toward reclaiming the brain’s abilities from rot.
This snapshot of brain rot does not cover all the causes, effects or strategies for improvement, but hopefully, it can inspire students to feel empowered in making choices that reduce the effects.
People can always turn to the internet for videos documenting how to initiate a screen detox — unironically — but there’s no judgement here. Whatever method helps people choose to look away from the screens — or stop investing hours in unstimulating content about plumbing fixtures — is truly the most empowering one.