Only in Ohio does the skibidi rizzler mog Italian brainrot to be goated with the sauce. If that sentence inspired a feeling of existential dread, imagine how I felt writing that.

Brainrot is a type of internet slang that is propelled by excessive social media use. It is typically nonsensical and extremely catchy, such as famed, formerly-trending, “Italian brainrot” characters like Tralalero Tralala (a shark with sneakers) and Tung Tung Tung Sahur (a baseball bat-wielding drum). These uncanny creatures are AI-generated images that spread through social media last year like wildfire.

Middle schoolers are usually associated with brainrot, but high schoolers have also taken to these odd, post-ironic characters. Brainrot is easy for stressed high schoolers to rely on because it’s a short quip that incites humor and requires little to no effort. This avoidance of thoughtful conversation is not helpful long-term, however.

Although students can sometimes get away with using brainrot in light-hearted social settings, phrases like “six seven” won’t argue a claim. In the future, when students need to get a point across, they will either be throwing darts around the source of the issue or they’ll be completely disregarded because they don’t have the vocabulary to express themselves.

Brainrot in itself is not unique. The argument that slang is degenerative has been made for decades. However, in the digital age, brainrot is not relevant for any longer than a couple months. The term “skibidi,” may it rizz in peace, was so vital to casual conversation two years ago. Now it is so sparse in dialogue that it’s rotting, per se, in its social media grave. Brainrot in itself is not detrimental, but it never stays relevant for long, creating an exhausting struggle to keep up with practically useless phrases.

Although I argue my case with the risk of sounding pretentious, my goal is not to aura farm, but to convey how it comes across when people excessively use brainrot to the point of obnoxiousness.

While students may think they’re using brainrot sarcastically, is it truly ironic if it comes up in every conversation they hold?