‘Brainrot’ is Oxford University Press’ 2024 Word of The Year.
It describes the deterioration of our grey matter while we mindlessly scroll, click and view.
It says a lot about how we’re all feeling right now.
(I’m certainly guilty of a late night scroll. Current obsessions include dog rescue videos, Dr Pimple Popper and a woman who recreates high fashion looks with bin bags and Ferrero Rocher wrappers.)
But the idea of cognitive decline isn’t new. The term ‘popcorn brain’ was introduced by David Levy, a researcher at the University of Washington, way back in 2011.
It refers to our scattered thoughts and struggle to sustain focus in a world of information overload.
Dr Gloria Mark, researcher at the University of California, coined the term ‘slothful mind’. She suspects that asking ChatGPT for all the answers is making us lazier thinkers. (I’m sure she’s right.)
But of course we don’t just suffer from brainrot ourselves – we have to communicate with people who have it too.
And it’s not easy.
How do we get through to people whose brains are seemingly melting out of their ears?
Should we oversimplify every communication?
Or just give up entirely?
(When you’re on your fifth chaser email, it’s tempting to pack it all in for a life of alpaca farming in Wales.)
But don’t despair. I still have hope.
We don’t need to oversimplify, but we do need to think more about delivery.
As one brilliant reader, Martin, wrote to me last week ‘The medium is the message.’
This means how we communicate is as important as what we communicate.
And every communication needs a strong beginning, middle and end to keep people’s attention and make it easy for them to do what we want:
Beginning: Did I start strong? Or is my opener a ‘by way of an introduction’ yawnathon?
Middle: Did I make it easy to digest? Would this email/report/PowerPoint be readable on a mobile phone on a packed commuter train?
End: Did I finish with a bang or a whimper? Is the next step clear and easy, or did I wimp out on asking for what I wanted?
Right – I’m off to watch an abandoned Labradoodle join her forever home read more academic studies.
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