'Brain Rot' becomes the trending word of 2024.

The Oxford Dictionary has named 'brain rot' as the trending phrase for 2024, reflecting concerns about the negative impact of excessive social media use on mental health.

"Brain fatigue" refers to a state of exhaustion caused by the effects of excessive dopamine stimulation from browsing social media - Photo: REUTERS

The Associated Press reported on December 3rd that the Oxford Dictionary recently announced that the phrase representing the year 2024 will be "brain rot ".

With usage skyrocketing by 230% compared to the previous year, the term is defined by Oxford as “a decline in a person’s mental or intellectual state, particularly seen as a result of excessive consumption of (currently primarily online) trivial or unchallenging content.”

"Brain Rot" became the representative word for 2024 through a combination of public voting results and linguistic analysis conducted by linguists at Oxford.

This term beat five other contenders with 37,000 votes, including demure , slop , dynamic pricing , romanticsy , and lore .

Most commonly used by Gen Z and Alpha, "brain rot" refers to a state of fatigue caused by the overstimulation of dopamine while browsing social media.

“It is these age groups that have fueled the spread of the phrase through social media channels, which are believed to be the cause of brain rot ,” commented Oxford Languages ​​chairman Casper Grathwohl.

In addition, Grathwohl stated that in the modern context, brain rot reflects a common risk in the virtual world, related to how people use their free time.

Although considered a modern term, "brain rot" first appeared in 1854 in Henry David Thoreau's work *Walden* .

Previously, Oxford's word of the year for 2023 was "rizz ," a variation of the word " charisma ," used to describe the ability to attract or charm others.

Meanwhile, the word of the year for 2024, chosen by the Collins Dictionary, is brat —the title of an album—which has become a symbol of the carefree summer lifestyle.

Last month, the Cambridge Dictionary announced that the word representing the year 2024 is "manifest ." This term relates to a mental health trend that encourages visualizing one's goals in the hope that it will increase the chances of success.

This word has been searched 130,000 times on the Cambridge Dictionary website.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thoi-nao-tro-thanh-tu-noi-bat-cua-nam-2024-20241203111705957.htm