While driving home from school I was listening to the FM radio and came across the term, 'Brain Rot'. Curiously, I researched the internet and learned that Brain Rot is the Oxford Dictionary's word of the year for 2024! But then, my research revealed some disturbing revelations. Gracefully, AI revealed that Brain Rot refers to a decline in a person's mental state caused by consuming too much online content that is considered trivial and of no academic use. Unfortunately, the internet offers too many distractions that take us away from what we want to do. Reels on Instagram, posts on Facebook, and tweets on Twitter can divert our attention from our true reason for being on the internet, which is, to do research for a project or to complete an assignment.
Brain Rot is an epidemic of serious proportions and it is high time that schools and colleges addressed this issue in the interests of preserving and promoting sound mental health in not only students but also all stakeholders. The prolific use of the internet and availability of internet-enabled devices have all placed a toll on the mental health of all who use the internet to do research to complete or supplement their research papers.
Unfortunately, some of the consequences of excessive use of the offerings of the internet have led to reduced attention spans in students, difficulty in focusing on tasks, and poor academic performance. The concerns related to Brain Rot are serious in nature. The identification of this phenomenon signals a drastic shift cultural shift toward the need to address the cognitive and emotional effects of living in a digital environment.
However, some steps that help us combat Brain include, adopting digital habits, pursuing creative mentally stimulating activities, adopting a culture of mindfulness, prioritizing timelines, focusing on solutions rather than problems, and pinpointing success strategies. Smart goals can help students rise above Brain Rot.
Brain Rot is a serious problem that affects not just students, but also their teachers. Brain Rot is a serious mental problem that needs to be targeted at all levels. I find students who are sleepy in class, parents complaining about children behind closed doors, purportedly working on projects, but in reality, doing something else.
It is a sorry state of affairs that affects most of us in the field of education. We have teachers who are exhausted by the number of tasks they need to complete within tight timelines and students who need to hand over projects that demand a lot of time. Brain Rot has taken its hold like a cancer, which threatens to overwhelm creativity, and initiative. The fruits of the Internet age have had their advantages and disadvantages, unfortunately where we have lacked as teachers and parents is to train our learners to use the resources of the Internet judiciously and effectively.
Brain Rot has serious implications for mental health and physical health and it needs to be addressed seriously both in schools, educational institutions, and at home! We have all felt the debilitating effects of spending excess time on the internet, and this requires the need to go for a digital detox, led by dissociating ourselves from digital devices. Detox therapies include going on excursions, putting away devices, and working on self-development programs. But then, the need to excel in exams, and pass entrance exams has all taken a toll on mental health. The need to stick to accepted norms and behaviors has had an impact on mental health.
We are driven by the need to use technology excessively and this includes binge-watching of videos and content on the internet. Scrolling through social media, switching back and forth through various social media and media tabs multi-tasking, and the need to check on updates has resulted in inundating ourselves with excess information and the need to filter through the same with resulting stress on our minds. Scrolling through social media platforms spikes the production of neurochemical dopamine which induces a sense of well-being and pleasure associated with constant scrolling through social media sites. Gratification is achieved through the number of hits and likes one gets from a social media post. This has led to what might be called a behavioral addiction to what might in all sense be an unnatural form of stimulation.
Brain Rot might result from, excessive video gaming, zombie scrolling, or mindless habitual scrolling, as you flit from one site to another, doom-scrolling or searching for distressing content, or social media addiction led by an urge to check on social media sites restlessness to see notifications, all of which lead to a sense of hypnosis where one is not able to think clearly.
We all need to undergo a digital detox program from time to time to address the problems associated with excessive use of digital platforms. Schools use WhatsApp platforms and other digital platforms to send a large number of notices. The use of mobile phones and laptops should be optimized to ensure sound mental health. A move to physical circulars and printed information sheets should be considered. All this will help stakeholders to cope with the excess amounts of information that needs to be filtered and processed.
