Brain Rot: The Online Slang Taking Over Gen Alpha’s Vocabulary
If you’ve been searching for a term to explain what is happening to our children as a result of the excessive amount of content they’re consuming online, allow us to present to you “brain rot.”
Oxford defines “brain rot” as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now including online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.” It also refers to something that is said to have the potential to cause such deterioration.
However, “brain rot” is not a brand-new term. Oxford claims that Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden, published in 1854, is where the term “brain rot” first appeared. Throughout the book, Thoreau refers to society’s tendency to discount sophisticated concepts in favor of simpler ones as “brain rot.”
What is ‘Brain Rot?’
The unique Gen Alpha slang term “brain rot” also describes the result of spending a lot of time online, typically on platforms like YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok, or even in gaming communities such as Roblox and Minecraft.
An English language master’s degree holder and mother of three, Vanessa Croft, describes it as “any collection of phrases or words which are understood purely in the context of their use on social media platforms.”
She continues, “It’s practically a gauge of someone’s level of ‘online’ activity.”
According to her, “a significant sign that the speaker is heavily involved in online culture is extensive knowledge of ‘brain rot’ words or phrases.”
For people outside of their online community or generation, many Gen Z and Gen Alpha users will use complete sentences made up of “brain rot” vocabulary that may be hard to understand.
A communications specialist, Tess Coward of the agency SolComms, acknowledges that she might know too much about “brain rot” slang but breaks it down even further
“Brain rot is the result of continuously thinking about jokes and trends from the internet,” she explains. “It’s the inability to form sentences without using internet slang. At some point, it creeps into your life without you even realizing it.”
Is ‘Brain Rot’ Bad?
It has been claimed that academic institutions around the world are prohibiting the use of “brain rot” slang words in the classroom. Teachers, who promote correct spelling, grammar, and diction, may find some of the slang annoying. But is “brain rot” really all that bad?
According to Stefano Lodola, a language instructor and the proprietor of Think Languages, “These terms become a shorthand for expressing complex ideas or emotions.” This type of language is not simply random; rather, it frequently captures the humor, values, and life experiences of the generation that uses it.
Therefore, the fact that their coded internal language originated on Snapchat does not diminish its validity compared to slang from earlier generations. The children benefit greatly from that, but what about the parents who are left trying to keep up?
The best thing parents can do, according to Lodola, is to ask their children about the slang and use such learning conversations to build deeper connections.
