We\u2019re not so sure. And since we work with social media every day, we almost feel a responsibility to tell you what\u2019s going on. But to what end?<\/p>\n
More than dragging you into this phenomenon \u2013 from which it\u2019s probably better to keep some distance \u2013 our goal is to warn you about the potential dangers of consuming social media in \u201cbrain-off\u201d mode: an increasingly strong temptation that can take over anyone with a smartphone, including us.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/propaganda3.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/brain-rot-oxford-word-of-the-year.webp\")
<\/a>Source: Oxford University Press.<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n According to Treccani<\/a>, which recorded the neologism at the beginning of 2025, the definition of *brain rot* is: \u201cThe intellectual and psychological deterioration that would result from a continuous and excessive consumption of online content considered trivial and not very demanding.\u201d<\/p>\n In December last year, the Oxford Dictionary<\/strong> officially declared \u201cbrain rot<\/strong>\u201d as the 2024 Word of the Year<\/strong>, after an analysis that found a 230% increase in the use of this term between 2023 and 2024<\/strong>. A figure that becomes even more interesting if we consider that only in 2025 does brain rot truly explode<\/strong>, with an almost exponential rise in usage.<\/p>\n The growth in Google searches for the keyword \u201cbrain rot\u201d. Google Trends data, October 2024 \u2013 May 2025.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n The linguists involved in the choice of \u201cbrain rot\u201d as word of the year also point out that the term can refer both to the cause<\/em> \u2013 low-quality digital content often created with AI \u2013 and to the effect<\/em> \u2013 the cognitive decline of those who consume it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Contrary to what you might think, however, the term did not originate in the digital age<\/strong>. So brain rot<\/strong> is not inherently a social media phenomenon, but with the rise of social networks and new generative AI tools, it has grown out of all proportion.<\/p>\n The first documented occurrence dates all the way back to 1854<\/strong>, when American writer and philosopher Henry David Thoreau used it in his famous book \u201cWalden\u201d, known in Italian as “Walden ovvero Vita nei boschi<\/strong><\/a>“.<\/p>\n In the text, Thoreau criticises society\u2019s tendency to prefer simple ideas over complex ones<\/strong>, writing: \u201cWhile England endeavors to cure the potato-rot, will not some one endeavor to cure the brain-rot, which prevails so much more widely and fatally?\u201d<\/p>\n Source: QuoteFancy.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n It\u2019s striking to think that these words were written over 170 years ago, considering how many potentially harmful phenomena for the brain have emerged since then, social media included. Who knows what Thoreau would think today if he were our contemporary and could \u201cmeet\u201d, as we\u2019re about to, the most famous Italian brain rot characters of 2025.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What kind of title is that!? Are we slowly losing our minds too? Maybe yes \u2013 diving into research on this topic has definitely not been soothing \u2013 but **these words were not chosen at random**.<\/p>\n In fact, \u201cBombardiro Crocodilo<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cTralallero Trallall\u00e0<\/strong>\u201d are the names of two of the very first characters born out of the brain rot movement, and also two of the most famous ones, not just in Italy \u2013 where they were created and grew \u2013 but worldwide, where they now seem to have captivated a good slice of Gen Z (1997\u20132009) and Gen Alpha (2010\u20132025).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So what\u2019s so special about these characters? How did they manage to win over so many users? The answer isn\u2019t straightforward.<\/p>\n Maybe it\u2019s the curiosity sparked by an aesthetic of the absurd (they\u2019re basically hybrids between anthropomorphic animals and everyday objects); or the roughly Italian-sounding names of brain rot characters (\u201cBallerina Cappuccina\u201d, for instance); or the robotic, hypnotic AI-generated voice (in 99% of cases, that of the fictional avatar \u201cAdam\u201d from Eleven Labs<\/a>) reciting nonsensical and often blasphemous rhyming chants.<\/p>\n Or perhaps it\u2019s the eerie backing track (which you can find in two seconds by searching \u201cscary song\u201d on TikTok), or the basic CapCut \u201cexplosion\u201d effect, always triggered at the start of each video, dragging the already low quality of the content even further down.<\/p>\n Most likely, the reason lies in the mix of all these elements. And when brain rot characters start interacting with each other \u2013 often in duels and battles \u2013 the total cerebral decay is complete.<\/p>\n Here are Bombardiro Crocodilo and Tralalero Tralal\u00e0 fighting. An unmissable battle, right?<\/p>\n Bombardiro Crocodilo \ud83d\udc0a VS Tralalero Tralala \ud83e\udd88 brainrot #bombardirocrocodilo<\/a> #tralalerotralalala<\/a> #aianimation<\/a> #fyyypppppppppppppp<\/a> <\/p>\n \u266c original sound – ReAIty<\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n What is brain rot: meaning and definition<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Origin of the term brain rot<\/h3>\n
<\/a>How does Bombardiro Coccodrillo go? Tralalero Tralal\u00e0<\/h2>\n
Why do brain rot characters grab so much attention?<\/h3>\n
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