Photo/Illutration A smartphone screen (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

The U.S. author and philosopher Henry D. Thoreau (1817-1862) was in his late 20s when he built himself a hut on the shores of Walden Pond in Greater Boston, Massachusetts, where he lived a life of self-sufficiency in natural surroundings for a little over two years.

His 1854 book “Walden” (or “Life in the Woods”), which is a reflection on simple living, is still being read today by nature lovers around the world.

In his conclusions, Thoreau criticized society’s tendency to scorn complex ideas and opinions that are open to diverse interpretations, and warned that this would result in an overall decline in mental and intellectual effort.

He wrote: “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?”

This was in reference to the Great Potato Famine, caused by the infection of potato crops by blight, that was plaguing England at the time.

It has been 170 years since, and the publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary has chosen “brain rot” as its Word of the Year 2024.

First coined by Thoreau, the use of this expression is said to be growing among the so-called digital generation of young people in their teens and 20s.

It is defined as, “The supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.”

The term increased in usage frequency by 230 percent between 2023 and 2024, according to the publisher.

Curious to find out how it is used by children and young people in English-speaking countries, I searched social media platforms, and noted many self-mocking posts with short, comical composite videos.

Those memes indicate that the posters are well aware of the downside of social media.

Thoreau’s worry has become real after years. Will the day come when “brain rot” as an expression doesn’t alarm anyone anymore? Thinking about that sends a chill down my spine.

—The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 16

* * *

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.