I’m sure you’ve all been waiting to hear the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year. Well it’s out. It’s actually two words, “Brain rot.” It was voted on by the public and Oxford lexicographers. The experts at Oxford claim the word gained new prominence in 2024. The frequentcy of use was up 230% over last year. I don’t know where I’ve been. I haven’t used it once and never heard anyone else use it. Oxford defines it as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging …It’s a word or expression that reflects a defining theme from the past twelve months.”
Now I get it. We have more sources of trivial and unchallenging information than ever in history and it’s rotting our brain. Social media and texting have changed language and grammar in profound ways. After free will, the ability to communicate allows us to express every emotion, love, hate and everything in between.The digital world, while allowing for a huge advancement of society, there are consequences. In the 1973 movie “The Paper Chase” Professor Kingsfield told his new law class they all came to his class “with a skull full of mush” that he was going to teach them to be lawyers. How much mush have we accumulated in our brains?
As a writer, I find the use and study of language fascinating and sometimes disappointing and cringe worthy. The misuse of words and the overuse of cliches reflects a laziness of thought. This has been a trying year for the world, hurricanes, floods, fires, war, and divisive politics that has divided the country and turned neighbor against neighbor. Oxford is right when it says “brain rot” is a word “that reflects a defining theme for the past twelve months.
To quote the old anti-drug warning, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” The proper use of language and understanding starts in the very early years of school. A solid foundation can change the trajectory of a person’s life. It’s not only teachers, but parents, who have instill the enjoyment of reading and writing.
According to Oxford, many of us are aware of the problem. It’s up to us to filter out the rot that’s clogging our brain. By the way, Oxford’s word of the year last year was “rizz”. It means “someone’s ability to attract or seduce another person.” No one wants a mush head.
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