"Brain rot" won the 2024 Hot Word of the Year. The new usage of this old word reflects people's concerns about the impact of media and other factors on the brain.

The expression "brain rot" was coined in 1854.

It may have been a simple way of describing a state of mind that adversely affects the brain.

People at that time may not have expected that this word would be mentioned again nearly two hundred years later and given a broader meaning.

People in that era encountered many difficulties. However, the media at that time was not as popular as it is now. The cause of brain damage is likely to be more caused by relatively narrow factors such as living environment.

Despite its long history, this word has always flowed in the river of language. As time went by, it gained new discoveries and gained more and more attention.

By 2024, this word has been given new connotations.

Media and other things were thought to cause brain damage, so the term was revived.

The media is now everywhere. Young people and other groups are surrounded by media information almost all the time.

Data shows that from 2023 to 2024, the frequency of use of this word increased by 230%.

People increasingly realize that the things around them play a significant role in the formation of ideas in the brain. This reflects that the public's understanding of this point is gradually deepening.

Under the background of the times, there is now a huge amount of information. Excessive information and some low-quality content may affect people's normal thinking and cause confusion, just like the brain is rotten and produces a bad state.

At the time of 2024, the concept of "brain degeneration" is particularly closely associated with Generation Z and Generation Alpha.

For the younger generation, they grew up in a highly digital era.

For example, they are exposed to various information pushed on electronic devices for a long time.

Short videos can be viewed almost around the clock and contain a lot of information, some of which are worthless or even misleading.

When many young people receive information, they lack the ability to filter and identify it, and it is easy for them to gradually lose their ability to think clearly in the flood of information. "Brain degeneration" is quite appropriate to describe their possible weakening of thinking ability.

Look back at the hot words of past years, such as the word in 2019 and the abbreviation in 2021.

These words were also some kind of identifier of the society at that time.

The word may reveal a certain point of view of cultural characteristics or social changes in a certain period; while the word "vax" shows that during the period when the new coronavirus vaccine was widely circulated, society launched extensive discussions and paid great attention to it.

That word in 2022 mainly conveys an optimistic and positive emotion, while in 2023, the word "rizz" has its own unique meaning.

The term "brain degeneration" in 2024 focuses more on worries about brain health at the thinking and conceptual level than in previous years.

This expression has a certain pessimism, reflecting people's concerns about the impact of the surrounding environment on the brain.

Ellis mentioned in an interview with NPR that the current media ecosystem not only covers short entertainment videos such as Douyin, but also covers uninterrupted news broadcasts around the clock.

This continuous flow of news and entertainment information can easily consume our brain power if not screened.

Ordinary people are bombarded with information and their brains have little room to rest.

Experts point out that if the public does not enhance their ability to discern information, they are likely to fall into the predicament of "brain degeneration" in the current environment. This phenomenon reminds us that we must pay attention and take effective measures to deal with it.

As social development continues, media representations will continue to evolve, and new methods of information dissemination may continue to emerge. So, whether the phenomenon of "brain degeneration" will intensify is indeed a question worth pondering.

How do we avoid this negative brain problem while getting information?

The future may require joint efforts from schools, families, society and other aspects.

For example, schools should educate young people on how to make rational judgments about information.

Families should also guide their children to stay awake when faced with complicated information.

Society needs to build a healthy information atmosphere and reduce the spread of bad information, so as to minimize the possible negative impact of "spiritual corrosion" in the future.