Brain Rot can be determined to be a dangerous malady on the brain, information derived from intensive research from the most credible sources such as Tik-Tok, Facebook, and Twitter. This ailment is typically most contagious for the specimens of the Gen-Z or Gen-Alpha groups.
Brain Rot is diagnosed from the excessive use of slang terms also known as brain rot terms. Some popular brain rot terms amongst the younglings include rizz,1 skibidi,2 gyatt,3 and sigma.4 Causation of this disease is from an overuse of technology and a lack of intellectual stimulation, eventually creating a deterioration upon the brain.
Louis Brandy ’27 provides a deeper background of Brain Rot. “Brain Rot became a mainstream idea through twitch streamers, such as Kai Cenat, Baby Gronk, etc. The media platforms like YouTube, Twitch, Twitter spread this slang like wildfire. The earliest version of “New Gen” Brain Rot contained things like Skibidi Toilet, Cocomelon and other shows. People saw this as funny and started using it as more vocabulary.”
Brandy and Chelsea Lee ’27, sophomores at the Hill School, answer the most-asked questions of Brain Rot: whether it is a myth or a reality, if it can be self-diagnosed, and how it may appear in their daily lives.
Lee mentions her thoughts on the reality of brain rot. “I believe brain rot is real. I spend some time on social media and come across this term a lot. Also, when interacting with people around me these days, I noticed that the amount of time spent on social media affects the way they act in real life.”
Lee suggests that it is self-diagnosable when she says, “You can tell you have brain rot when you are referring to the terms and memes online too much. It is almost as if those are inside jokes if others [are not] on social media.”
Brandy ’27 differs, saying, “You [cannot] tell your brain rotted, and people just use it as a joke.”
While there is still more research that needs to be done, one could say that Brain Rot is a dangerous reality for internet and social-media junkies. Five symptoms to look out for in both yourself and your friends:
- The overuse of brain rot terms.
- The inability to uphold a conversation without referring to popular memes.
- Having the ability to instinctively open one’s social media app on their phone.
- Screen time more than eight hours.
- Lacking in daily intellectual stimulation.
With the ever-growing social media population, the question remains whether brain rot terms will spread into everyday vocabulary or just remain an online “meme or a joke” as Brandy ’27 believes to be the case currently.
