Slowly, although not imperceptibly, short-form internetcontenthas become not only the norm, but in many ways a dominant method of how people consume anything from memes to news and even music. Recently, this has led to a growing awareness of seemingly mindless, repetitive posts and trends that some call “brain rot.”

TikToker and brand strategistEugene Healeywent viral for his theorizing that we will move towards a post-brain rot era of content. If some of those words seem confusing, don’t worry, we’ll get you up to speed.We reached out to Eugene via email and will update the article when he gets back to us.More info:TikTok

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If you scroll long enough on TikTok, YouTube shorts or IG’s reels, you’ve probably seen a lot of repetitive, low effort content

Man discussing the post-brain rot era with digital background and text overlay.

Image credits:eugbrandstrat

Text image discussing signs of a post-brain rot era identified by a culture strategy consultant.

Text discussing a “post-brain rot era” with insights on in-person status trends and tech addiction as a low-status trait.

Group discussing post-brain rot era, seated around a table in a modern office, with laptops and documents.

Image credits:javi_indy / freepik (not the actual photo)

Text discussing AI’s impact on jobs and the potential shift towards valuing human capabilities in a post-brain rot era.

Text discussing algorithm failures and AI content’s impact on culture and platforms like YouTube.

Text about AI perspectives and super brain rot, questioning content originality and predicting audience reaction.

Man in striped pajamas with red headphones watching laptop, symbolizing post-brain rot era relaxation at home.

Image credits:freepik (not the actual photo)

Text discussing brain rot, short-form media burnout, and the shift towards long-form content preference on platforms like YouTube.

Text discussing a shift towards media-like branding with in-house curators, related to a post-brain rot era.

Text discussing diverse content and optimism for a post-brain rot era by 2025.

You can watch the full video here

First, a few definitions

Person in yellow hoodie using smartphone, pondering post-brain rot era at home.

Image credits:EyeEm / freepik (not the actual photo)

First and foremost, if you are unaware what “brain rot” refers to, congratulations! This is sort of like winning a cognitive lottery. In short, there is (or was, according to Eugene Healey) a growing trend in short formcontentthat was low effort, low value and, often, mentally tiring. While it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what makes something “brain rot” versus just simple, it tends to have little to no intellection value, has repetitive music or sounds and are often linked to a current trend in Gen Z or Gen Aslang.

Now, low-quality content has been around a lot longer than TikTok or its competitors, so it begs the question, why is “brain rot” as a concept only being so widely discussed now. It was named the OxfordWord of the Yearin 2024, which is certainly going to be a fun fact in trivia competitions for the next few decades.

However, if we take a look at the actual consumption habits of most users in general and younger users in particular, it’s easy to see how this sort of video format ends up being so prolific. In the past, you would scroll your “feed” on, say, Facebook or Twitter (now X) and when you got to the end, you would stop. However, now that there is truly so much content out there that the more “modern” approach is to have a feed one can, in theory, scroll through forever.

It’s worth noting that the person reportedly behind the concept and technology of the “infinite/endless scroll,” entrepreneur Aza Raskin regretted this design choice,sayingthat it was “one of the first products designed to not simply help a user, but to deliberately keep them online for aslong as possible“.

Mindlessly scrolling short video content is generally not great for your mental health

Person using a smartphone, reflecting on the post-brain rot era while lying down on a pillow.

Even though lockdown has been lifted for awhile now, many people still reflexively lose hours every day just scrolling hundreds of videos, hoping for that one little hit of dopamine. This comes with its ownslew of issuesfrom anxiety to depression, but the main point here is that there are or at least have been a large segment of viewers conditioned to just sit and scroll no matter what shows up on their screen.

At some point, you will be scrolling through content faster than folks can make it, so it’s not surprising that most of the as of yet unviewed videos will be ones that probably took people mere minutes to make. After enough exposure to “brain rot,” people start to internalize the vocabulary, which then trickles into their everydayspeech.

Despite what the slew ofAI punditswould have you believe, people don’t just want one thing. There will be viewers for AI content (or “slop” as some call it) but most real people won’t just consume this one type of video day in and day out. The simplicity of brain rot content might end up working against generative AI which can only mix the bits of data it has. At some point, it will run out of ingredients.

Many readers agreed, sharing how their consumption patterns have changed

Comments discussing internet culture shifts related to post-brain rot era concerns.

Online discussion about mid-length content and flash animations, hints at post-brain rot era insights.

Commenter expressing optimism about the post-brain rot era, with 151 likes.

Comment by Ryan calling for AI regulation laws, gaining 33 likes.

Comment about “post-brainrot” era with crying emoji reaction, 52 likes.

Comments discussing the impact of paywalls on virtual spaces, suggesting a shift towards a post-brain rot era.

Comment by Sandwich islands on post-brain rot era, stating in-person meetings won’t return.

Person discusses the “Post-Brain Rot Era,” highlighting hyper-local success over mass distribution.

Comment discussing AI creativity, suggesting it’s a copy of a copy, related to the post-brain rot era concept.

Comment agreeing with thoughts on the post-brain rot era discussion.

A person comments on advertising trends, suggesting a move away from short-form to longer content in a post-brain rot era.

Deputy discusses escaping brain rot by enjoying long content without distractions in a social media comment.

Comment saying “Finally someone talking sense about AI” with 2 likes.

Comment about AI replacing jobs, mentioning high rents, related to post-brain rot era discussion.

Comment embracing quality in content creation, relevant to “post-brain rot era” discussion.

Comment by HelenOfNine praising logical views and advice, related to post-brain rot era discussion.

User comment discussing the cost of outings and activities, relating to a post-brain rot era trend.

Others disagreed with both his definitions and even key arguments

Comment discussing preference for minimal in-person interaction with humorous emoji, related to post-brain rot era.

Comment discussing “post-brain rot era” and capitalistic traits with notable engagement.

Comment by ClassicMiddleton discussing a post-brain era with humor, mentioning “post-post modernist response.

Comment from a user expressing healing from brain rot in a digital conversation.

Screenshot of a comment about brain rot, expressing skepticism about moving beyond it.

Comment discussing how AI content and experience might reshape a “post-brain rot era.

Comment on post-brain rot era, discussing remote work and in-person meetings.

Comment from Simon’s Book Club discussing the concept of everything being a remix, related to “Post-Brain Rot Era” ideas.

Comment expressing concern about the increase of in-person meetings in the post-brain rot era.

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