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The Brainrot Epidemic: How Digital Dependency is Rewiring Our Minds
So Oxford Dictionary made “brainrot” the word of 2024. Honestly, I’m surprised it took this long. We’ve been living in a collective mental fog for years, we needed the dictionary people to make it official.
Last week, during my child’s school orientation, the director addressed a room full of parents with a sobering observation: “We’re losing our children to mindless scrolling, and frankly, many of you are setting the example.” The uncomfortable silence that followed spoke volumes about a truth we’re all reluctant to confront — brainrot isn’t just a Gen Z problem.
What Even Is Brainrot?
Brainrot started as internet slang for watching too many dumb TikToks until your brain feels like mush. But it’s evolved into something bigger — a perfect word for how we’ve all become addicted to mindless scrolling, endless notifications, and the constant need to check our phones every 30 seconds.
You know you have brainrot when you can’t sit through a 2-minute video without checking Instagram. Or when you pick up your phone to check the time and somehow end up watching a 45-minute compilation of cats being jerks. We’ve all been there.
The scary part? It’s not just teenagers. I watched a toddler try to swipe a magazine page last week. Meanwhile, their mom was photographing her latte instead of drinking it. We’re all in this mess together.
