This Technology Manager's Notebook Article discusses the 2024 Word of the Year – brain rot – whose sudden popularity reflects deeper issues underlying contemporary social media. Brain rot is a colloquial term that refers to the negative cognitive, emotional, and behavioral effects resulting from the purposeless, repetitive, and excessive consumption of trivial, unchallenging, and low-quality digital media content, primarily for short-form entertainment. This article defines the controversial term, explains its popularity, and explores its implications for technology leaders.
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Alexander Serenko (2025) studied this question.
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