'Brain rot' is Oxford's word of the year. What it means

'Brain rot' was selected as Oxford's Word of the Year for 2024 amid concerns over the perceived dangers of virtual life and how we spend our free time scrolling through mind-numbing content on social media. The five shortlisted words included 'demure,' which rose to prominence following a social media trend during the summer that refers to reserved or responsible behavior; 'dynamic pricing,' where the price of a product or service varies based on demand; 'lore,' a body of facts and background information related to someone or something; 'romantasy,' a fiction genre combining romance and fantasy; and 'slop,' low-quality content online generated using artificial intelligence. Oxford University Press defines 'brain rot' as 'the supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Oxford University Press explained that 'brain rot' gained new prominence this year as a term used to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media.