Oxford University Press recently announced the 2024 Word of the Year, “brain rot,” chosen from a shortlist of six words that gained prominence this year. The term refers to the assumed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state due to overconsumption of trivial or unchallenging content, especially online. The word reflects concerns about the impact of excessive consumption of low-quality online content, particularly among younger generations such as Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
Other words on the shortlist included “lore,” “demure,” “dynamic pricing,” “slop,” and “romantasy,” each reflecting different trends and themes that emerged in 2024. For example, “demure” was also named Dictionary.com’s word of the year, popularized by TikTok star Jools Lebron. “Dynamic pricing” refers to the practice of varying prices based on market conditions, while “slop” is used to describe low-quality content generated by artificial intelligence.
In 2023, the Oxford Word of the Year was “rizz,” which stands for “charisma.” These annual selections reflect evolving trends in language and culture, highlighting the significance of certain words and their usage in society.
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