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國際時事跟讀 Ep.K911: Digital Brain Rot: Society's New Pandemic

Highlights 主題摘要：

Despite being popularized by modern digital culture, "brain rot" has historical roots dating back to 1854, demonstrating how age-old concerns about mental deterioration remain relevant in today's digital age.
The term has gained significant traction, particularly among younger generations who ironically are both the primary creators and consumers of the content they criticize through this expression.
The selection of "brain rot" as Word of the Year reflects broader societal anxieties about digital overconsumption and its potential impact on mental well-being in our increasingly online world.

In a revealing reflection of our modern digital habits, "brain rot" has emerged as Oxford's Word of the Year for 2024. This term, which garnered significant attention through a public vote involving over 37,000 participants, describes the perceived mental deterioration resulting from excessive consumption of trivial online content. The phrase captured a growing societal concern about the impacts of mindless social media scrolling and the endless stream of low-quality digital content that dominates many people's daily screen time. The selection process, overseen by a panel of experts including renowned lexicographer Susie Dent, considered both public opinion and broader cultural implications.

在反映現代數位習慣的過程中，「大腦腐蝕」（brain rot）一詞脫穎而出，成為牛津字典 2024 年度詞彙。這個透過超過 37,000 名參與者公開投票而備受矚目的詞彙，描述了因過度攝取瑣碎的網路內容而導致的心智衰退現象。這個詞彙捕捉到社會對無意識社群媒體洗版，以及充斥人們日常螢幕時間的低品質數位內容所產生影響的日益關注。由知名詞典編纂學家蘇西・登特（Susie Dent）等專家小組監督的遴選過程，同時考量了公眾意見和更廣泛的文化影響。

Interestingly, while "brain rot" may seem like a modern creation born from our digital age, its origins date back to 1854 when Henry David Thoreau first used it in his seminal work "Walden." The term has evolved significantly since then, finding new relevance in today's context where Generation Z and Alpha communities have embraced it to describe their own experiences with social media overconsumption. The selection of this phrase reflects a broader cultural conversation about the intersection of humanity and technology, particularly regarding how we spend our leisure time online. Oxford Languages president Casper Grathwohl noted the significance of younger generations adopting this term, despite being the primary creators and consumers of the content it criticizes.

有趣的是，雖然「大腦腐蝕」看似源自數位時代的現代產物，但其起源可追溯至 1854 年，亨利・大衛・梭羅（Henry David Thoreau）在其開創性著作《湖濱散記》（Walden）中首次使用。這個詞彙自此經歷重大演變，在當今 Z 世代和 Alpha 世代社群用以描述他們過度使用社群媒體的經驗時，找到了新的關聯性。這個詞彙的選擇反映了關於人性與科技交匯的更廣泛文化對話，特別是關於我們如何在線上度過閒暇時光。牛津語言（Oxford Languages）總裁卡斯珀・葛拉斯沃（Casper Grathwohl）指出年輕世代採用這個詞彙的重要性，儘管他們是這些被批評內容的主要創作者和消費者。

The shortlist for Word of the Year included several other noteworthy contenders that equally reflected current cultural trends. Among them were "demure," which gained popularity through social media discussions about reserved behavior; "dynamic pricing," describing the practice of adjusting prices based on demand; and "romantasy," an emerging genre blending romance with fantasy elements. Also notable was the inclusion of "slop," referring to low-quality AI-generated content, and "lore," describing the collective knowledge and background information about specific topics. These candidates collectively highlight the diverse ways in which digital culture continues to shape our language and social discourse.

年度詞彙入圍名單包含數個同樣反映當前文化趨勢的重要競爭者。其中包括透過社群媒體討論內向行為而獲得歡迎的「端莊」（demure）、描述根據需求調整價格做法的「動態定價」（dynamic pricing），以及融合浪漫與奇幻元素的新興類型「浪漫奇幻」（romantasy）。同樣值得注意的還包括指稱低品質 AI 生成內容的「劣質品」（slop），以及描述特定主題之集體知識與背景資訊的「傳說」（lore）。這些候選詞彙共同突顯了數位文化持續塑造我們語言和社會論述的多元方式。

This choice of "brain rot" as Word of the Year stands alongside other significant linguistic selections across the dictionary landscape. Cambridge Dictionary chose "manifest" as their word of the year, reflecting the wellness trend of visualizing desired outcomes, while Collins Dictionary selected "brat," inspired by Charli XCX's influential album. Dictionary.com opted for "demure," following a viral TikTok trend about mindful behavior. These selections collectively paint a picture of a society grappling with digital influence, personal development, and the evolving nature of online communication, while highlighting the growing impact of social media on language and cultural trends. The term "brain rot" represents not just a linguistic trend, but a broader societal acknowledgment of the potential downsides of our increasingly digital lives.

「大腦腐蝕」作為年度詞彙的選擇，與字典界其他重要的語言選擇並列。劍橋字典選擇了與正向心願宇宙力量之身心健康趨勢相關的「顯化」（manifest）作為年度詞彙，而柯林斯字典則選擇了受酷娃恰莉（Charli XCX）具影響力專輯啟發的「惡女」（brat）。Dictionary.com 則跟隨 TikTok 上關於正念思考的病毒式流行，選擇了「端莊」（demure）。這些選擇共同描繪出一個正在與數位影響力、個人發展和線上溝通演進本質搏鬥的社會圖像，同時突顯了社群媒體對語言和文化趨勢日增的影響力。「大腦腐蝕」一詞不僅代表語言趨勢，更是社會對我們日益數位化生活潛在負面影響的廣泛認知。

Keyword Drills 關鍵字：

Deterioration (De-te-ri-o-ra-tion) [noun. when something becomes worse over time]: Brain rot describes the perceived mental deterioration resulting from excessive consumption of trivial online content.
Demure (De-mure) [adjective. quiet and well-behaved, not showing off]: Among them were demure, which gained popularity through social media discussions about reserved behavior.
Romantasy (Ro-man-ta-sy) [noun. a type of story that mixes love stories with magic]: Among the shortlisted words was romantasy, an emerging genre blending romance with fantasy elements.
Dictionary (Dic-tion-ar-y) [noun. a book or online tool that tells you what words mean]: Cambridge Dictionary chose manifest as their word of the year, reflecting the wellness trend.
Manifest (Man-i-fest) [verb. to try to make something happen by thinking about it a lot]: Cambridge Dictionary chose manifest as their word of the year, reflecting the wellness trend of visualizing desired outcomes.

Reference article:
1. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/dec/02/brain-rot-oxford-word-of-the-year-2024
2. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2n2r695nzo

國際時事跟讀 Ep.K911: 數位大腦腐蝕：社會的新疫情 Digital Brain Rot: Society's New Pandemic

通勤學英語 15Mins Today