Is it any wonder we have ‘brain rot’ after the year we’ve had?

The late-night doom scroll is Gen Z’s version of EastEnders – and just as relaxing, writes Emma Clarke

As I lie in bed, pimple patch on chin, hair scraped back into a messy bun, with Gilmore Girls playing in the background, a notification pops up on my phone screen. “You’ve reached your limit on TikTok”, it tells me. It then gives me two options: 1) “Remind me in 15 minutes” or 2) “Ignore limit for today”.

I choose the latter, as I am wont to do, and then proceed to scroll through hundreds of short-form videos, wondering what I’m going to be served by the algorithm this time (and at what hour I will end up going to sleep). Will it be an autumnal recipe or a makeup tutorial? Or, better yet, the guy who asks random couples on the street how they first met?

My favourite kind of TikTok is what’s known as a “Sunday reset” – a dialogue-free clip of someone cleaning and re-organising their home with a satisfying ASMR soundtrack (I particularly love the sound of a scatter cushion being karate-chopped).

Although the trend has (sadly) never inspired me to clean my own flat – and, having been a cleaner myself for some years, I know they’re not exactly realistic – I do find comfort in the mundanity of it all. There’s something pretty pleasing about watching a Hoover suck up crumbs; or a window restored to its former brilliance – who doesn’t enjoy nosing around someone else’s gaff?

Less comforting is when I find myself stuck on “North Sea TikTok”. Accompanied by an eery, foreboding sea shanty, these videos usually consist of men working on oil rigs falling into icy waters... or hundred-feet-tall waves capsizing a fishing boat... or an ominous sea vortex opening up in the middle of the ocean... or piranha-like fish swarming in their millions around a bit of chum. The stuff of nightmares – particularly if I watch them before I go to sleep.

It comes as no surprise to me, then, that the Oxford word (technically words) of the year is “brain rot” – an adjective used to describe our never-ending consumption of trivial content, especially on social media.

Don’t get me wrong; I occasionally stumble upon more educational material – and it’s not the only thing I do in my free time. I’m also an avid reader and cook; I go to exhibitions, take classes to learn new skills, work out at the gym – and will often watch a documentary (no, not just true crime ones). But for the most part, I relish the opportunity to indulge in a bit of senseless “doom scrolling” – as do, clearly, a lot of others.

And it makes a lot of sense, when you think about it.

2024 has been a bit of a shocker when it comes to global events. A convicted felon accused of rape has been voted back in to the White House; violence against women has increased at an alarming rate while their rights have drastically been diminished; the devastating wars in Gaza and Ukraine rage on; racially-motivated riots swept the streets of the UK this summer; we’re still in the thick of a cost of living crisis; and just last week, world leaders failed to secure a meaningful deal to help us reach the climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement.

Just as there’s an endless stream of content on TikTok, there are endless examples of the s*** we’ve collectively had to deal with.

Given the job I am in, my awareness of current affairs is especially heightened. I often hear people say they don’t read or watch the news because it’s “too depressing”, but journalists like me don’t have much choice in the matter. We have to consume the news. We have to steel ourselves against horrible headlines, graphic images and gruesome details – on a daily basis.

But regardless of vocation, of course we are going to lean into forms of entertainment that require little to no brain power or energy. Of course we seek out distractions that make us feel good or, at the very least, take our minds off the awful state of things for a little while. It’s essentially the Gen Z and Millennial equivalent of, say, EastEnders: it doesn’t always make sense, it is often silly and, well, it’s repetitive. You could revisit it a year on – and nothing much will have changed.

I wouldn’t say brain rot is entirely without its purposes, though. As someone who is Very Online, I find it really helpful to be clued up on the latest trends and pop culture moments. For work, I can pre-empt big stories because, well, I’ve watched these things unfold many times over for more than a decade. And it also gives me a huge leg-up at a pub quiz and endless conversation starters at parties.

I guess what I’m trying to say is: everyone should ease up on the judgement when it comes to social media. To veg out in front of a screen is hardly a new concept – and I’m sure before social media, TV or cinema, people were entertaining themselves through other, similar means (else why would we have bizarre traditions like cheese rolling or morris dancing?)

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am going to get back to rotting my brain...