Polarization, brain rot and brat -- the 2024 words of the year encapsulate the myriad ways digital life is influencing English language and culture. advertisement UPI News ...

Today, a going theory about the cause of brain-rot language—as implied by its name—is that people have gotten stupider. But I don’t think this is true.

Brain rot emerged victorious. Other publishers rely on the acumen of their editors, augmented by measures of popularity such as the number of online searches for a particular term.

The winner – “brain rot” – encapsulates the mind-numbing effects of excessive social media use. Oxford University Press said the frequency of the phrase increased 230% from the previous year.

Oxford Languages President Casper Grathwohl said that, today, “‘brain rot’ speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life, and how we are using our free time.” ...

Oxford's language experts say brain rot gained traction on platforms such as TikTok this year, thanks to Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Frequency of the term's use grew by 230% from 2023 to 2024, according ...

Slop: Pig feed, yes, but in this context low-grade content often generated by language models. Brain rot may have surged in the past year, but its use dates back to 1854, when Henry David Thoreau ...

Institutions associated with publishing have announced lists of words that stand out from the previous year for one reason or another. Oxford University Press declared “brain rot” to be its ...

“Brain rot” was chosen by a combination of public vote and language analysis by Oxford lexicographers. It beat five other finalists: demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy and lore.

“Brain rot” is the 2024 Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year, adding to a growing list of Internet-specific words chosen by dictionaries as words of the year.

Polarization, brain rot and brat -- the 2024 words of the year encapsulate the myriad ways digital life is influencing English language and culture. Top News U.S. News ...