After a long study session full of rigorous math problems and long, mindless reading, you open TikTok “just for a minute” to get that long-awaited break you’ve wanted that whole time. After what only felt like minutes, it’s suddenly 2 a.m. and your eyes are glued to your phone as AI-edited memes, sped-up show clips, and endless brainrot audios scroll by. Your brain is distracted, your desk is messy with papers, and somehow, all the hours of needed sleep are gone.
Welcome to the world of brainrot–the chaotic, addictive content that is taking over social media and students’ screens. Although it is hilarious, these online trends are leaking into classrooms, slowly making everyone spiral out of their minds. But behind all the laughs, one question could be asked: “Is brainrot slowly taking over our brains without us noticing?”
What even is brainrot?
To start, brainrot can’t just be singled down to a single genre of content, yet they all follow a certain style. These types of videos can grab attention almost instantly, with their loud, eccentric sound and absurdity that is undeniably funny. This satirical content is loved by many across media platforms, and its audience only seems to be growing larger by the day.
“It just feels like random memes that are really out of context and funny for no reason,” Flower Park (10) said. “I personally enjoy it, and my friends do as well.”
Though enjoyed by many, brainrot media has been around for months, perhaps years, on end. The trend thrived during quarantine, when young social media users had nothing else to do, and the rabbit hole of trash content deepened from there.
“Brainrot content has no real benefit to someone’s mental state. In a way, it degrades [their mental state], since there is nothing behind what they mean,” Aniya Grant (11) said.
With every trend that arises from the internet, there will always be its downsides. As the trend itself is “brainrot,” many expect that their brains actually may be decaying, and they may not be far from it. Dr. Andreana Benitez, an associate professor of neurology at the Medical University of South Carolina, reported that consuming low-quality and negative content allows the mind to be exposed to distortion of reality and ultimately detortiating mental health, especially in younger generations.
“I believe that spending a few hours on social media really affects me,” Farima Tavana (10) said. “It distracts me from my work, and the content itself is excessive.”
It is important to have a healthy relationship between social media and reality and creating boundaries between the two is the best way to create that standard. Though it’s ideal, it is definitely a process, which could be especially challenging for children to teenagers. With the overconsumption of this specific form of media, the line between the online world and reality tends to be blurred.
Brainrot in the classroom
If you’ve been awake in class for the past few months, you’ve definitely noticed a few terms flying around in class. “6-7,” “24k gold Labubus,” “chopped,” and “huzz,” are only some terms that scratch the brainrot universe surface. As these new terms evolve, these words seem to be added to this generation’s vocabulary and everyday language.
“I hear brainrot terms in almost every single period,” Grant said. “Even when there is a test and everyone is supposed to be quiet, someone will slip out a 6-7 joke. It could be distracting, but it also lightens the mood.”
These trends have not only taken over the internet, but daily vocabulary and often in conversation with other peers. With the normalcy of these terms, a standard conversation about failing a test could become something along the lines of “being cooked on question six or seven.” Though typical for student conversation, those who may not be as online as others could be baffling.
“Whenever we do a problem and ‘67’ pops up, everyone goes ballistic. I can’t control the class for a good four to five minutes,” Chemistry Honors and CP teacher Ms. Teresa Phong said.
Nevertheless, these trends have been starting to become overwhelming for not only teachers, but other students focusing in class as well. A laugh or two may arise from surrounding students, but eyes and ears start to drift off the board and begin to focus on their favorite trends.
“It is harmless and fun when it isn’t constantly used or else it can become a little incessant for student’s brains during class,” Tavana said.
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In the end, there is nothing that society can do to restrict teenage glory when it comes to their “peak” comedy. As annoying as it may seem at the moment, the future selves who quote these brainrot terminologies ceaselessly will be able to look back and laugh at the cringe-worthy memories. The best thing that most students can do to cope right now is bare with it and “aura-farm.”
