The Oxford Word of the Year in 2024 was brainrot1, and the overuse of social media was seen as the main cause for the state it describes. Fast-paced, low-quality entertainment, depression-inducing doomscrolling, and the thrill of heated arguments—all mediated by screens—are probably not the best kind of stimuli a person can get.
What made me think about brainrot was the overuse of the word ‘literally’ I noticed online. You know what? —It’s almost always unnecessary. Why is that verbal tic everywhere? It feels so lazy and hollow when it’s slapped onto everything.
”I literally just saw a shooting star.”
Sure, there are other filler words (‘like’, ‘you know’ etc.) and there are words that are used for emphasis (‘really’, ‘totally’) or stylistic, possibly sarcastic, effect. It would be easy to dismiss the overuse of ‘literally’ on those grounds as nothing special. But, I’m not operating as a prosecutor who has to make a case beyond reasonable doubt. I’m just pointing to an intriguing idea; maybe a weak signal of something.
“I’m literally starving.” Yes, I agree, and that is my point. You are drowning in data and digital dopamine, but you’re starving for meaningful information, let alone knowledge. Also, you’re not really thinking about what you’re saying. Please, stop.
“You just literally ate at McDonalds!”
So much of our interaction happens through texting and screens in general that it starts to blur the lines between the digital and the physical. The unnecessary use of ‘literally’ signals that text ie. the literal has become the primary reality for folks crouched behind their screens and keyboards. For them, ‘literally’ means ‘actually’, and its overuse is a symptom of the very grasping for reality.
“I’m literally shaking right now”.
People are leaning on ‘literally’ to ground their experiences, to insist that something is true or tangible in a space where everything feels a bit abstract. ”No, this really happened!” or “This is how it really feels!”.
Therefore, My Esteemed Reader, permit me to advance a proposition. Such is the conjecture I lay before thee: The overuse of ‘literally’ is ACTUALLY a sign of brainrot.
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