brain-rot

Noun

brain rot (uncountable)

1. (derogatory) The degradation of mental faculties, intelligence, common sense, or moral character.
   • While England endeavors to cure the potato-rot, will not any endeavor to cure the brain-rot, which prevails so much more widely and fatally?1854 August 9, Henry D[avid] Thoreau, “Conclusion”, in Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Boston, Mass.: Ticknor and Fields, →OCLC, page 348
2. (derogatory, slang) Any form of media content that is deemed to hold little artistic value or negatively impact those who consume it.
   • […] I remember that I had to stay home and receive a stern lecture on the evils of Tinseltown brainrot.1978, Lionel Menuhin Rolfe, The Menuhins: A Family Odyssey, page 47
3. (slang, derogatory or self-deprecatory) The state of being obsessed with a particular work of media, particularly to an extent considered to be embarrassing.
   • Jojo^([sic]) brain rot is real because why have I just spent the last 10 minutes thinking who'd be better at parallel parking-2024 July 8, LeiaThompson3, Twitter