“Brain rot” is the term of the year for 2024, referring to concerns that endlessly scrolling through social media videos and other content can cause harm. Here, TikTok’s logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen showing a TikTok home screen. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File) Michael Dwyer/AP/AP
Michael Dwyer/AP/AP
It’s not unusual for the words of influencers to gain popularity. But the influential philosopher Henry David Thoreau was born more than 200 years ago — and now a term he’s credited with introducing, “brain rot,” is the Oxford University Press’s word or phrase of 2024.