Understanding the TikTok trend of brain rot

After coining the new term “brain rotting,”TikTokers have gained viral attention, although there is confusion among some individuals regarding its meaning.

In recent years, there has been an increase in the amount of time people spend in front of screens. This can be attributed to the use of computers in schools and workplaces, as well as the common habit of coming home and unwinding in front of the TV while scrolling on a phone or tablet. This has become a regular routine in most households.

Despite this, individuals have expressed experiencing drowsiness and mental exhaustion from excessive internet usage, resulting in the creation of a new term to describe this phenomenon.

Understanding Brain Rotting

The term brain rot, also known as brainrot, refers to the sensation of mental haziness and decreased cognitive function that occurs after prolonged use of a phone or screen.

The phrase is derived from the notion that the internet is negatively impacting the cognitive abilities of frequent users who are constantly online, causing them to use memes and slang terms that are not commonly used in offline settings.

@joel_cave
Average person #fyp #men #selfimprovement #real #mentalhealth #school #gym #college #real #joelcave

♬ original sound – Joel Cave

According to TikTok creator Joel Cave, a clear indication that someone’s brain has been negatively impacted by social media is their frequent use of internet slang. This statement was made in a video post, which has amassed over 4.4 million views.

He mentioned that one of his classmates in college struggled with speaking without using popular audio clips from viral TikTok videos as a reference.

Another TikToker, known as joshlunchbox, shared a video on his account about developing “brain rot.”In the video, he can be seen in a library, where he had looked up from studying and joked that he had finally succumbed to “internet brain rot.”He then pans the camera to show a 1948 book by Norman Mailer titled “The Naked and the Dead.”

The book’s cover showcased a well-known illustration known as “The 2000 Yard Stare”, which was created by artist and war correspondent Thomas Lea in 1944. It portrays the experience of an American soldier who has been exposed to the atrocities of war.

Despite this, the younger demographic will likely be familiar with the picture due to its frequent use in online memes as the “1,000 Yard Stare.”These memes are often used humorously by individuals who have come across a social media post that they feel traumatized by or regret looking at.

@joshlunchbox
GO BACK TO THE DIGIT REALM YOURE NOT MEANT TO BE HERE #thousandyardstare #chronicallyonline #brainrot #studying #student #library #real #relatable

♬ messj is better than ronaldo – kilua draws

The video was quickly gaining popularity with over 9.1 million views and over 4000 comments. Some viewers even admitted that they had no prior knowledge of the meme being based on a real image, and expressed their fear if they had encountered it in real life instead of on their screens.

Individuals flocked to the comments section to express relatable encounters, in which their thoughts had perceived physical objects or occurrences through an internet lens.

According to one user, they were watching a movie with subtitles on and came across the phrase “acoustic music.”They felt as though they had “officially lost it”because they believed the phrase had a different meaning online – being used as slang for “autistic.”

Another individual remembered spotting a horse and their immediate thought was of the TikTok sound linked to the animal.