Oxford’s word of the year is a modern condition familiar to most of us

“Brain rot” behavior can include doomscrolling and social media addiction. Fiordaliso/Moment RF/Getty Images

By Rosa Rahimi, CNN – 2 December 2024

There’s a name for that feeling you get after spending too long scrolling aimlessly, and Oxford University Press (OUP) has chosen it as its word for the year for 2024.

“Brain rot” took the title in a vote in which more than 37,000 people participated, as well as public commentary and analysis of OUP’s language data.

In a statement released Monday, OUP, which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary, 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.”…

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