What is Brainrot? Simply explained

The term brainrot is used on TikTok. It describes foolish opinions, thoughts and simple-minded language. The German translation is brain rot

What brainrot is and how it comes about

Brainrot describes a condition in which excessive screen time or time spent in specific internet communities leads to changes in users’ behavior. Therefore, you should recognize brainrot content on platforms like TikTok and know how to avoid being influenced by brainrot opinions yourself.

• Brainrot means: The way someone speaks and thinks is difficult for outsiders to understand. It’s a casual term used on TikTok to shake people awake when they spend too much time online or in specific internet communities. It’s often about content that seems completely unrealistic. Basically, it’s an informal insult to people who spend too much time online

• Brainrot can also indicate mental sluggishness and lethargy. Both are caused by excessive screen time. A general feeling of slowness, poor planning ability and limited decision-making skills are symptoms that can occur. In fact, studies suggest that excessive screen time can even lead to a decrease in gray matter in the brain.

• Whenever you think a user has lost touch with reality, you can use brainrot to point this out. Let’s say you see a TikTok clip calling for money to be collected for fan therapy sessions. The reason given for the campaign is the premature cancellation of a certain series. The collection is intended to provide fans with emotional support during this difficult time

• In this example, it would certainly be appropriate to respond by saying brainrot. By doing so, you signal to the person how they are too caught up in their own internet bubble to recognize reality. After all, canceling a TV show is not really comparable to a serious traumatic event that would require therapy. That’s why it seems irrational to ask for money for it.

• You can also use brainrot to tell a person how incomprehensible their content is. Sometimes users are deeply immersed in their own internet world. They then no longer realize how incomprehensible their jargon, their topics or even their way of thinking is to the average person. In such a case, the brainrot comment may awaken the user’s awareness.

Brainrot – causes and effects

Brainrot refers to the changes in behavior and thinking that can result from excessive consumption of online content. The causes of this phenomenon are often due to excessive screen time and immersion in specific internet cultures. The effects range from reduced media literacy to negative effects on mental health.

• Many social media platforms are addictive. They reward your engagement with ‘likes’ and encourage you to keep scrolling endlessly. But while you’re on social media, you’re not engaging in healthier activities like physical or mental exercise. Internet addictions can also occur in other ways, such as trying to swipe through the pages of a book while reading instead of turning them.

• If you are too busy with online topics, you often can’t keep up with the rapid development of the internet. People who suffer from brainrot often have detailed and in-depth knowledge of niche online phenomena such as slang, memes, obscure dramas or discourse that is rarely talked about in everyday life. Some people subscribe to outlandish beliefs they have picked up online and attach undue importance to them.

• The online world operates on the principle of the attention economy. The websites like social media platforms make money by monopolizing your attention. However, with many websites competing for this attention, users often switch back and forth between them or consume short content that captivates them. This not only affects attention span, but also memory.

• Low critical thinking skills or media literacy is a common problem. Media literacy is the ability to read information and interpret works of art. Brain red is said to impair critical thinking, as users are less likely to fact-check or think deeply about the information and stories presented.

• Doomscrolling describes the endless scrolling through social media and news feeds to find out every new negative news story and what others think about it. This habit is addictive and tends to have negative effects on mental health, which can lead to stress and depression. Doomscrolling is frustrating because there is often little you can do about the negative news

• Overuse of the internet, especially social media, can take a heavy toll on self-esteem. In the online world, there is constant competition for likes and followers, and a lot of emphasis is placed on looking perfect. Any other result can make you feel inferior. If you feel uncomfortable or worse after going online, this could be a sign of brainrot.

• Whoever is seen as overly argumentative or arrogant in real life is said to display aggressive behavior online. This accusation often goes hand in hand with the description chronically online, which applies to people who are so entrenched in the online world that they can no longer get away from it.