Opinion: In defense of ‘brain rot’

Brain rot was declared the 2024 word of the year, a term that describes simplistic or low in quality digital media, as well the deterioration of the mental or intellectual state of a person who consumes it.

There are many videos posted online about the “6-7” meme trending among youth. Parents and teachers are alarmed that it is yet another sign of the youth’s route to brain rot. 

In today’s world of doom scrolling through endless chaos, immigration raids captured in real time, men, women and children zip tied and kidnapped off the streets of Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and everywhere a brown person is considered an unlawful presence, despite at least 170 of them being U.S. citizens, brain rot may be the least of our problems. 

The Supreme Court, the third branch of government that was supposed to protect all citizens and even non-citizens equal under the Constitution, has decided it is not allowed to be Brown, speak Spanish and have a minimum wage job. That is a deportable offense. 

One post I recently saw had the text “This really is the worst time in history to be alive” on top of the video and “the whole world is comin’ to an end” in the caption. It shows an In-N-Out employee calling out order 67 and the whole crowd inside the restaurant, mostly high school kids, howling and laughing. 

I have a question in regards to that. Did we forget being young? Youth is about being silly. Yes, with the coming of age, more responsibilities come along as one must decide what to do to secure a future, but as the social, political, economic and environmental state of the world indicates, the future seems bleak. So why can’t the young scream, howl and laugh out loud at a silly joke that emerged from a song? What is the true benefit of criticizing this behavior as long as it’s not hurting anyone?

In many ways, spending so much time in front of a screen can’t be good for anyone. But according to a study, engaging with digital technology reduces the risk of cognitive impairment in people middle-aged and older by 58%. 

Although for youth the risks may be different, the 6-7 meme, as well as the next silly meme that takes them by storm, it’s just not that deep. Let kids have their fun. 

It’s true that there’s nothing inherently funny about six, seven, and for teachers it can be disruptive to their classes. But there’s an easy way for teachers to take the power away from the numbers, for the teachers to start using them. Kids will stop being interested after that. 

“The fact that you can get a big reaction from somebody for something just totally meaningless — that might give it longer longevity than it might otherwise have,” Taylor Jones, a linguist and social scientist, told CNN.

We may not have had trending videos on TikTok in my high school years, but there were plenty of silly words that would make a whole class react. It’s time we remember that the next time a meme makes young people laugh and giggle about something that the adults don’t understand. 

We need silly, we need fun, because… *gestures at everything.* And hey… maybe this Gen X/Millenial agreeing that the sixxx seeevennn meme is funny might put the final cringe on the trend.