As endless scrolling becomes further integrated into our everyday routines, “brain rot” has become an increasingly important term—especially among younger generations. But does using brain rot language help strengthen connections within communities, or does it widen the cultural gap between generations?
Named Oxford Word of the Year in 2024, brain rot is defined as the “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content considered to be trivial or unchallenging).”
While in the past, the word was used to refer to the physical effects of consuming media, brain rot has evolved to reflect how internet culture shapes our habits, culture and sense of identity.
Due to its fast-paced, hyper-personalized algorithm, TikTok has become a key point of interest when discussing brain rot. As one of Generation Z’s most prevalent communication channels, many young users imitate viral sounds in conversation, creating a new set of slang words exclusive to app users.
Recently, TikTok terms like “skibidi” and “huzz” have gained significance outside of the social media sphere, with people using the phrases in real-life conversations. Whether you like it or not, brain rot has infiltrated college campuses.
St. Thomas is no exception. In fact, according to St. Thomas students, brain rot has become inescapable in day-to-day conversation. Most students report hearing a brain rot term at least once a day.
“I do find brain rot terms funny, but they’re also kind of sad,” first-year Abby Shaw said. “I just feel like it shows how much we are on our devices.”
On the other hand, some students believe that the ever-present use of brain rot slang helps establish and even strengthen connections among Gen Z.
Junior Micheal Mcintee said that brain rot slang acts as a multi-use tool for Gen Z.
“It kind of acts as a symbol to other people our age that we’re versed on the things that are happening on social media; but after a while, it acts more like a filler word for when there’s lack of better conversation,” Mcintee said.
It’s true: brain rot does show Gen Z’s influence on the media and its resulting influence on culture. As of 2025, “situationship,” “slay” and “delulu” each have definitions in either the Merriam-Webster or Oxford dictionaries, legitimizing Gen Z’s language.
Our parents had “cool beans,” and their parents before them had “groovy” and “the skinny.” Slang has always existed for the younger generations to identify one another. Brain rot language builds the same sense of community; it’s just modernized to fit the current culture.
Greg Song, professor of emerging media and communications at St. Thomas, said that when he first heard the word brain rot, he thought it was a good word to describe the “weird” experience of overconsuming low-quality online material.
“It’s really cool. But at the same time, if you indulge in it a lot, it could negatively affect you, professionally,” Song said.
When used in moderation and appropriate settings, brain rot is simply another tool that Gen Z uses to connect. Like the slang phrases our parents used and the trendy words of our grandparents before them, brain rot is simply a reflection of Gen Z’s influence on the media—a new generation of slang that brings a sense of community across our age group.
Kinzie Cusipag can be reached at cusi3569@stthomas.edu.
