In 2024, the word “brain rot”—in a sign of our decline in literacy—was named the Oxford Word of the Year. The word has most often been associated with the increasing prevalence of AI-generated content and TikToks or Instagram Reels with little substance. The word itself carries a negative connotation, and for good reason. It illustrates the degradation of our thinking skills, time management, and arguably most importantly, our attention spans. Consuming this content is like a drug that destroys our brains from the inside.
One could argue that these social media and tech companies should restrict some of this cheap, low-quality content, sprinkled with AI-generated videos. Yet these companies thrive on content that starts trends, drives up views, and thus increases ad revenue. So they certainly won’t come to our help.
However, brain rot itself is not the entire issue; it is only one of many symptoms of this horrific disease: phone addiction. A virus that many don’t realize they already have, with only 57% of Americans admitting they suffer from it.
Nearly everyone we know has a smartphone: a device we wouldn’t dare to leave behind when we adventure outside, and sometimes for the right reasons. Either call a loved one in case of emergency, FaceTime a friend to keep some company, use Google to find a good place to eat, or do pretty much anything as a human being in the 21st century. Even order an Uber on a night out and scramble to finish the essay you’ve been procrastinating on while you sit in the back, cramped among your friends. The possibilities are endless, which makes the device amazing, but also very dangerous.
If I have a tool that replaces a television, a typewriter, a music player, and a home computer, what else do I need? I am bound to fill nearly all the moments of silence, inactivity, and most importantly boredom, with the delight of the small screen in my pocket. If this device can provide me with all the attention I need and vanquish even the smallest hint of boredom that arises in my mind, there is almost no need for me to do anything else.
Homework, self-care, and social connection no longer become necessities we actively prioritize; rather, they become important only under external pressures, such as deadlines or peer pressure. Those things take work, and I don’t want to do that; I just want to scroll and watch Clavicular get frame-mogged by an ASU frat leader.
When our smartphones become the first thing we see in the morning and the last thing we see at night, the time spent on them is bound to be excessive and oppressive. Recent data shows that Americans are spending on average over five hours a day on their smartphones, with Gen Z consuming an average of six plus hours each day.
Assuming sleep takes up seven hours of our day (because who really sleeps eight hours consistently?), and you attend about three hours of classes each day, that leaves you with roughly 14 hours to do with whatever you wish. Smartphone use would account for about 43% of your free time.
That is a large part of our day when low-effort activities continually activate our brain’s reward centers. This acts as a substance—an addictive one—that distracts you from everything you want or need to do. Constantly using our phones is rotting our brains, when it could just be reading, relaxing, working, etc.
The best solution to this problem is just to leave your phone at home.
You may be opposed to this, feeling pressured by the possibility of FOMO, but what will you really miss that’s important if you don’t have your phone on you for at least a couple of hours? A text or call that you might miss? If you have a MacBook and an iPhone, you won’t have to worry about missing anything. You can still check whether someone called or texted you, and once you adjust some notification settings, you can do so without the constant compulsion to investigate the red bubble on your messages icon.
I promise it will allow you to feel more focused and motivated to get your work done, and to pursue more interests, such as playing Chess, reading, or writing. It will provide your mind with a much-needed rest and allow it to come to terms with any mind-consuming thoughts. You won’t feel so rushed to submit that problem set due at 11:59, because you’ll be motivated earlier in the day and no longer in need of deadlines to stop you from procrastinating. Everything else around you will feel much more exciting and interesting.
On a few past occasions, I’ve left my phone in my dorm while I go to class and handle whatever obligations I have afterward. I feel that I’ve been wanting to read more, too. Books entertain me while I eat—much more interesting than the edits of my favorite athletes on TikTok.
This can feel daunting at first, but once you check your screen time and see how many hours feel wasted, you begin to notice how much time is lost. You notice how it distracts you from engaging with friends or your own thoughts, and how it draws you away from the hobbies you find fulfilling. You notice how the phone continually drains your spirit more and more, denying your mind the rest it needs.
Soon enough, you will realize this, change your mind, and reap the benefits of what feels like extra hours in the day.
Copy edited by Connor Schwaab
Double major who loves to talk about the political and economic state of the world right now. Really enjoys hiking, practicing latte art, and trying to understand the complex planet we call home.
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