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Oxford University has chosen a new term for 2024, “MIR 24” reports. After a large-scale vote involving more than 37 thousand people, the winner was the term brain rot, a modern expression for describing intellectual degradation.
Language experts define the term as a gradual deterioration of mental abilities caused by excessive consumption of online content. Use of the term has increased by 230% between 2023 and 2024.
Interestingly, the term itself has a long history and first appeared in 1854 in Henry David Thoreau's book “Walden”. While in the XIX century this concept was associated with thoughts about simple life, the modern interpretation has been radically transformed, reflecting the realities of the digital age with its information overload and clip thinking.