Don’t get mogged on the daily, make sure to rizz up Livvy Dunne, please exit your “winter arc,” especially those who buzzed their hair, and make sure to pick up the phone if John Pork calls: Spring is on the way.
In the high-paced lifestyle of a boarding school, comedic relief—often in the form of slang—is necessary to break the monotony of day-to-day life.
One popular form of internet slang is becoming increasingly popular on the Williston campus, known as “brain rot.” Brain rot refers to the deterioration of an individual’s brain due to absurd, often meaningless content from memes posted on social media, mostly Instagram Reels and TikTok.
Named by Oxford Dictionary as its 2024 Word of the Year, low-quality and often confusing memes have taken over the internet, especially for teenage users. “Skibidi Toilet,” a popular YouTube online series that captivated the Gen Alpha mind, has become a source of humor around their older generation counterparts, Gen Z. Circa 2021, using the word “Skibidi” became a way of emphasizing something foolish and lacking logic.
“Rizz” also became another widespread brain rot term, referring to someone’s charisma or ability to romantically attract another person. While slang may have its place in society, brain rot specifically has connected students on campus. Post-Grad Ty Dingle—quick to comment on the difference between slang in New York and Easthampton—believes the campus is quite “out of touch” with slang from more metropolitan places like New York City.
While terms like “my heart”—meaning something you care deeply about—have not grown to fruition on the Williston campus, brain rot slang has reached a broader audience. Other popular brain rot terms include “cooked,” referring to you or another’s inability to do something, or general unpreparedness, “low taper fade,” a popular haircut that rose to new heights, after being referenced by popular Fortnite streamer Ninja, who makes a living broadcasting his gameplay on several media platforms online, and “you are my sunshine,” which included memes superimposing LeBron James, on a sun, while “You are My Sunshine” by Christina Perri, plays in the background.
Whether it is within the gates of Williston or off campus, brain rot has a grip on developing teens.
A recent article published by FAU student Taylor Nadler emphasized how social media, which is now used by over five billion users who average 143 minutes on social media platforms per day, has overstimulated users. Older adolescent girls to young adults, aged 16-24, spend a combined 35 days per year online.
The result is not screen time limits, which Nadler claims 46% of Gen Z users have installed on their phones, because Gen Z averages the highest time spent online of any generation. Nadler emphasizes the importance of pursuing interest beyond spending time on social media. “There are limitless things you can choose to do with your time every single day,” said Nadler.
Most brain rot terms and memes lack meaning, yet the derived humor is comical due to the unpredictable nature of the meme. Popular rapper DaBaby, known for the 2019 hit “Suge,” entered the brain rot world after a photo with his very sharp jawline turns into a car popped up online. His face becomes isolated, and wheels emerge under his chin.
“Brainrot” has faced criticism on campus. Junior Luca Fantasia believes the culture around “brainrot” comes with ramifications, yet the terms are cool. Jumpei Ro, a junior, shares a similar perspective: “[Brainrot] is low-key annoying,” he told The Willistonian.
Tbh, ts pmo,” lamented Dilan Jose, Mem West Proctor. What might send your average baby boomer into a stroke has evolved into regular conversations lingo between students. “To be honest, this pisses me off”—the translation of Dilan’s brain rot statement—is one of many shortened “text language” terms that falls under the brain rot umbrella. Not all terms that are a “text language” fall under this umbrella, such as terms like LOL: the distinction lies within its repetition on the social media platforms; An individual must understand the more random, the more potential in this brain rot genre.
Hyunseo-An, a senior boarding living in Mem West who goes by David has begun to publish his own brain rot content. David appreciates the “brainrot” genre because of the “random photos,” he said.
Rylan Shibley spends a few hours gaming every day. An avid football player continuing his career at Elon University next year, Rylan faces criticism of time spent online. “Go touch some grass,” a common phrase used to describe someone who is a “de-gen” or degenerate, a phrase associated with the brain rot phenomenon projecting throughout online platforms.
Shibley feels he is unfairly targeted by this term: “gamers can be athletes too,” he said. “Go touch some grass,” literally means to get outside—in the winter months, difficult—but without excuse in the spring.
