The Oxford Dictionary has chosen "brain rot" as its Word of the Year for 2024. The phrase describes cognitive decline resulting from prolonged exposure to low-value internet content, particularly on social media platforms. It reflects growing concerns about the harmful effects of overconsuming superficial, overly comedic, and often irreverent content that undermines cultural and social values.
The phenomenon poses a significant threat to the quality of information accessible to the public, the intellectual capabilities of younger generations, their lifestyle in the virtual world, and its direct impact on their real-world behavior. Policies pursued by tech companies that own these platforms exacerbate the issue, as they increasingly prioritize entertaining content to drive engagement, views, and interactions.
Such dynamics reignite the age-old debate about the relationship between what audiences want and what they need, as well as the importance of striking a balance between the two. Remarkably, innovative media experiments have successfully used the same tools to deliver content capable of breaking through absurdity, achieving both widespread appeal and meaningful impact simultaneously.
Populist Content
The enduring appeal of entertaining content—sports, celebrity news, and cinema—comes as no surprise, particularly when infused with elements of human empathy or conflict. Competitions, crime stories, personal disputes, and tragedies are among the components that enhance a piece's popularity. This trend, long dominant in traditional media, has seamlessly extended to digital platforms.
Traditional media's institutional management, diverse ownership structures, and regulatory oversight, coupled with effective "gatekeeping" mechanisms, allowed for a balance between populist content and cultural, social, and educational material. Consequently, this equilibrium helped mediate the relationship between audience desires and genuine needs.
Digital media presents a markedly different landscape, characterized by the dominance of individualism and user-generated content. In this realm, "algorithmic gatekeeping" takes center stage, relying on user preferences that give rise to phenomena such as filter bubbles and echo chambers. These dynamics make achieving balance far more challenging, especially given the intense competition among tech companies vying for the largest shares of younger users.
To capture this demographic, companies adjust their policies to prioritize indicators of popularity above all else. Simultaneously, they must navigate considerations like terrorist threats and misinformation to avoid penalties and legal repercussions.
Sports content and celebrity news dominate the landscape of most searched terms on Google in 2024. Newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump leads the list, renowned for his populist approach, controversial nature, and ability to blend politics, entertainment, and conflict. His supporters' behavior and even an assassination attempt on him often result in violence, consistently placing Trump among trending topics. Kate Middleton follows in popularity, with her disappearance sparking widespread rumors until the revelation of her cancer diagnosis. The sports champion Imane Khelif also features prominently, as public debate surrounding her gender identity intensified. These trends underscore how controversy, rumors, and even gossip remain surefire formulas for gaining traction and popularity on the internet.
The dominance of entertainment creators becomes strikingly evident when examining trending lists on social media, often led by adventurers, artists, athletes, and models. Forbes' list of the top 50 content creators worldwide for 2024 exemplifies this trend, with Jimmy Donaldson, widely known as MrBeast, claiming the top spot. Renowned for his adventurous and high-stakes challenges, such as surviving in a cave for a week, spending 100 days in a bunker to win $50,000, or competing against football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo for a $1 million prize, MrBeast has amassed an impressive following. His YouTube channel boasts over 337 million subscribers and more than 67 billion video views, translating to annual earnings of up to $85 million through his sensational content.
Platforms like TikTok, which rely heavily on short clips and challenges centered around entertainment, further amplify the dominance of populist content. Live streams on these platforms often feature humor and controversy, aiming to boost views and generate profits—a trend that has faced significant criticism. Facebook and Instagram exhibit similar patterns, with some celebrities allegedly making provocative statements or engaging in controversial behavior deliberately to stir up debates and secure top spots on trending lists. Consistently, these platforms prioritize metrics of popularity, reinforcing the cycle of sensationalism in content creation.
Creative Experiences
Content shared on social media thrives on immediacy, interactivity, participatory engagement, and visual diversity. While platforms like Instagram, X, or Facebook aren't conducive to reading long articles, watching lengthy documentaries, or browsing encyclopedias, they do offer links to such informational products. Nevertheless, the digital space abounds with creative experiences that successfully deliver content aligned with these platforms' communication features while offering significant intellectual value. These experiences provide options that are more easily shareable and digitally consumable.
Beyond websites and mobile applications offering educational content or quick summaries—such as Blinkist, which provides concise 15-minute summaries of books, articles, and podcasts in an appealing and simplified manner—social media platforms have witnessed similar initiatives to deliver educational content in a light and fast format. Certain influencers have specialized in this role, captivating audiences with their unique approaches to knowledge dissemination.
Former NASA engineer Mark Rober, for instance, creates science-focused content with a dramatic twist. His experiments, such as dropping an egg from space or testing whether acid or lava is more destructive, have garnered him over 60 million subscribers and more than 9 billion views. Similarly, Australian Derek Alexander Muller runs the popular YouTube channel Veritasium, featuring scientific experiments, informational videos, and interviews on a variety of topics. Another notable example is American Destin Sandlin, whose channel "Smarter Every Day" has accumulated approximately 1.2 billion views. Through this platform, Sandlin shares insights about places he visits or tools he tests, delivering knowledge in a captivating and accessible way.
These innovative content creators have successfully adapted to the unique demands of social media platforms, proving that educational material can be both intellectually stimulating and highly engaging when presented in formats tailored to digital consumption.
The Arab world has witnessed the rise of numerous influencers who deliver knowledge-driven content tailored to social media audiences. Ahmed El-Ghandour, a renowned Egyptian YouTuber, stands out with his program El-Daheeh. He captivates viewers with humorous introductions before seamlessly transitioning into well-researched narratives, supported by compelling visuals and statistics. El-Ghandour's content spans a wide range of topics, from historical and scientific issues to profiles of notable figures.
Another prominent figure in this sphere is Abdullah Anan, the creative force behind Science Street. Anan's videos showcase engaging scientific experiments that elucidate the properties of various materials and elements. His innovative approach has garnered him an impressive following of 6.4 million on TikTok alone.
The trend extends beyond general knowledge, with some influencers leveraging their professional expertise to create accessible, simplified content. Ashraf Ibrahim, founder and presenter of "The Economic Informant," specializes in finance and business topics, breaking down complex economic concepts for his audience. Similarly, engineer Ahmed Ali, known as The Architect, focuses on architectural art, exploring its rich history and the principles of sustainable building design.
Platforms like Facebook and Instagram host numerous accounts offering creative summaries of books and articles. Notable examples include Dupamicaffeine by Nasser Al-Aqeel and Ketab Cafe on Instagram, which presents summaries as photo albums. On Facebook, Brief for Grief boasts 700,000 followers, while the Al-Zatoona channel on YouTube has amassed 2.4 million subscribers. Al-Zatoona's video summaries employ a storytelling and conversational style, fostering a strong connection between the presenter and the audience.
The rise of podcasts has prompted many content creators to produce long-form content featuring interviews with specialists. These podcasts offer in-depth knowledge, taking advantage of extended runtimes. A prominent example is Fenjan by Abdulrahman Abu Malih, part of the digital platform Thmanyah, which explores diverse topics such as economics and mental health. As numerous influencers have embraced podcast production, the podcast landscape has expanded significantly. To adapt to platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, episodes are often segmented into shorter clips, making them more suitable for sharing and consumption on these social media platforms.
Beyond videos, images, summaries, and podcasts, creative endeavors also include the use of animation to present simplified content on complex topics. The YouTube channel TED-Ed, with over 20.8 million subscribers and 4.1 billion views, features videos on subjects ranging from environmental issues to history, psychology, sociology, and self-development. Another notable example is the MinuteEarth channel, whose animated content has garnered over half a billion views. MinuteEarth offers creative presentations on animals, plants, extinction, scientific experiments, and various other subjects, making intricate concepts accessible and engaging for audiences.
Available Opportunities
The phenomenon of "brain rot" describes the deterioration of mental or intellectual capacity due to excessive consumption of trivial or mentally unchallenging content online, particularly on social media. Its selection as the Oxford Word of the Year 2024 reflects global concerns about how people live their virtual lives and fears of intellectual and cultural decline resulting from overindulgence in superficial and populist content. More serious digital creative endeavors, however, offer a way to bridge the gap between shallowness and meaningfulness, providing practical examples of how creative tools can be utilized to produce content on social media platforms that is both intellectually enriching and highly engaging.
To enhance such efforts, several measures are required:
1. Increasing support for educational and informative content on social media:
Efforts should focus on leveraging social media tools and formats to benefit educational and informative content. Institutions like the New Media Academy in Dubai have made strides in this direction, yet such initiatives need to evolve into a widespread trend and common practice. The shift should not be limited to audiences already interested in serious content but should aim to penetrate the tough outer shell of superficial content bubbles. Achieving this goal requires both institutional initiatives and individual efforts working in tandem.
2. Encouraging social influencers to produce valuable content in creative formats:
Supporting social influencers who deliver high-value content in light, creative formats is crucial. This approach demands significant effort in research, verification, writing, and creative production while maintaining information accuracy. Striking a delicate balance between engaging presentation and content accuracy is essential. To foster and sustain such efforts, institutions should provide incubation and funding opportunities, ensuring the development and longevity of these endeavors.
3. Ensuring the sustainability of knowledge-based content:
Knowledge-based content should be sustained beyond seasonal trends or specific events, pages, or institutions with an educational or scientific nature. Maintaining a consistent flow of such content, independent of particular occasions, strengthens its position as an authentic and enduring digital practice.
4. Developing digital storytelling methods for high-value content:
Innovative digital storytelling approaches should be designed to suit high-value content, adding a human element that transforms facts, news, and events into rich, visually engaging narratives. These methods enhance content consumability and shareability, particularly for younger audiences who represent a key demographic for cultural enrichment.
5. Establishing and activating digital media production departments:
Cultural, educational, and scientific institutions should move beyond simply republishing content from other media platforms or solely promoting their organized events. Instead, they should establish dedicated digital media production departments focused on creating innovative forms of digital content. These departments should align their creations with trending directions, enhancing them with interactive and visually creative elements specifically produced for social media platforms. Complementing this approach, public events should be enhanced with engaging digital elements such as short videos, 360-degree videos, event filters for platforms like Snapchat, and collaborations with social influencers. Through these efforts, the concept of cultural events will be reshaped, breaking free from prevailing stereotypes and attracting a wider, more diverse audience.
6. Updating media and cultural policy formulation methodologies:
Modern frameworks should consider social media platforms as integral components. Such approaches need to move beyond traditional beliefs that view these platforms as diminishing the value of institutions or their published content. Furthermore, they should recognize that institutional engagement through these channels is equally valuable to traditional media outreach.
7. Focusing on digital literacy curricula and promoting healthy consumption habits for social media:
While growing attention in the Arab world has been given to digital literacy courses, with many initiatives providing clear guidelines for healthy social media consumption, there remains a need to expand these efforts. Connecting them to the daily lives and practices of students is crucial. The curriculum should extend beyond traditional academic settings, incorporating activities such as organizing competitions, documenting diaries, and sharing experiences in digital formats that are easily shareable and widely disseminated.
8. Enhancing Arabic content and utilizing creative content tools:
Efforts should be made to increase the availability of alternatives in both Modern Standard Arabic and various local dialects. This approach will ensure content reaches diverse social groups, enriches the digital Arabic contribution, and creates a more inclusive digital ecosystem.
In conclusion, the tension between the dark and bright sides of social media—namely, "brain rot" versus more valuable creative content—affirms that these platforms are not inherently problematic. Instead, they serve as tools capable of being utilized in either direction. Amid the pressures of popularity and profit-making, policy-making institutions, non-governmental organizations, and active individuals bear the responsibility of regulating the pace and maintaining balance. They can achieve this by fostering and supporting creators of higher-value content and providing a wider range of alternatives.
