Brain rot

Tralalero Tralala. An Italian Brainrot character.

Brain Rot (or Brainrot) is content on the Internet that affects mental health in a way that is harmful or causes it to metaphorically “rot”.^[1] This can happen by spending a lot of time looking at content without meaning, including some internet memes.^[2] The term was coined by Henry David Thoreau in 1854.^[3] The term has been used online since 2004 but became popular in 2023, also as an internet meme.^[4]

References

↑ Roy, Jessica (2024-06-13). "If You Know What ‘Brainrot’ Means, You Might Already Have It" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/13/style/brainrot-internet-addiction-social-media-tiktok.html. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
↑ "Brain Rot: The Impact on Young Adult Mental Health". Newport Institute. 2024-01-10. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
↑ Chappell, Bill (2024-12-02). "Writer Thoreau warned of brain rot in 1854. Now it's the Oxford Word of 2024" (in en). NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/12/02/nx-s1-5213682/writer-thoreau-warned-of-brain-rot-in-1854-now-its-the-oxford-word-of-2024. Retrieved 2025-11-02.
↑ "What is 'brain rot'? Do you have it?". SBS News. Retrieved 2024-08-26.

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[1] Roy, Jessica (2024-06-13). "If You Know What ‘Brainrot’ Means, You Might Already Have It" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/13/style/brainrot-internet-addiction-social-media-tiktok.html. Retrieved 2024-08-26.

[2] "Brain Rot: The Impact on Young Adult Mental Health". Newport Institute. 2024-01-10. Retrieved 2024-08-26.

[3] Chappell, Bill (2024-12-02). "Writer Thoreau warned of brain rot in 1854. Now it's the Oxford Word of 2024" (in en). NPR. https://www.npr.org/2024/12/02/nx-s1-5213682/writer-thoreau-warned-of-brain-rot-in-1854-now-its-the-oxford-word-of-2024. Retrieved 2025-11-02.

[4] "What is 'brain rot'? Do you have it?". SBS News. Retrieved 2024-08-26.

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