- Sunday, February 23, 2025
The announcement came after two weeks of intense voting by over 37,000 language enthusiasts, where they had to choose among the six shortlisted words
By: India Weekly
Oxford University Press (OUP) has officially announced ‘Brain Rot’ as the Word of the Year for 2024.
It has defined brain rot as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.”
The term is very relevant to the current times where people are hooked to mindlessly scroll through social media platforms for hours everyday.
The announcement came after two weeks of intense voting by language enthusiasts. Six words that “reflect the moods and conversations that have helped shape the past year” were shortlisted.
A public vote was conducted, in which over 37,000 people participated, and the word ‘brain rot’ won. The other words were, demure, dynamic pricing, lore, romantsy and slop.
OUP noted that the term has gained a 230 per cent increase in usage compared to 2023, thanks to various social media platforms.
Casper Grathwohl, President of Oxford Languages said, “I find it fascinating that the term ‘brain rot’ has been adopted by Gen Z and Gen Alpha, those communities largely responsible for the use and creation of the digital content the term refers to.”
The term was reportedly first recorded in 1854 in the book Walden by Henry David Thoreau, where he shares his experience of living amongst nature and away from society.
“While England endeavours to cure the potato rot, will not any endeavour to cure the brain-rot – which prevails so much more widely and fatally?” he wrote in his book.
