Activist Erkan Erdem writes: Is the Digital Age rotting our minds?
The rapidly spreading "brain rot" effect of the digital world is threatening our mental health. Fast and superficial consumption of information makes deep thinking impossible. The solution lies in digital detox and conscious content consumption. Erkan Erdem writes.
12punto
ERKAN ERDEM
Once upon a time, the digital world was hailed as a fast and free way to access information. Now, this same world has turned into a swamp filled with content that dulls and rots our minds. Oxford choosing 'Brain Rot' as its 2024 “Word of the Year” is one of the most striking summaries of this transformation.
BRAIN ROT: THE SILENT EPIDEMIC OF THE DIGITAL AGE
'Brain rot' refers to the deterioration of our mental or intellectual state, particularly as a result of being overly occupied with trivial and weak stimuli, filling the mind with low-quality information, and the subsequent degradation that follows.
It is used to describe a state of mental fog, loss of energy, difficulty focusing, and a decline in cognitive functions due to the excessive and intense consumption of low-quality content on social media.
The endless scrolling on TikTok, stories on Instagram, and reels managed by artificial intelligence... They all leave a mark in the depths of our brains. But this mark is not related to knowledge or thought; it is filled with a kind of fatigue. Now, the Y, Z, and Alpha generations, who use social media excessively, build sentences and express their concerns with a vocabulary of 150 words. The word "exactly" (aynen) has shed its single meaning and become the joker of our language, turning into a universal response to dozens of different questions.
DOSAGE CULTURE: THE REIGN OF SUPERFICIAL INFORMATION
In the past, diving into the pages of a book or getting lost in a long film at the cinema was a mental and enjoyable journey. Now, such activities are becoming increasingly intolerable. Because short videos provide our brains with a constant and rapid release of dopamine. Instead of thinking and deepening, they teach us to "consume" quickly. Even 3-year-old toddlers now know how to 'scroll' on a screen with a flick of a finger.
This situation gives rise to a new concept we call dosage culture. Just like small doses of over-the-counter medication taken quickly, information and entertainment have now become short, superficial, and temporary. One-minute reels or 15-second stories lead the brain to be satisfied with constant small doses of stimuli and to make this a habit. But this satisfaction is temporary, deceptive, and addictive.
THE MENTAL DECAY BROUGHT BY DOSAGE CULTURE
While dosage culture fills our minds with instant stimuli, it takes away our ability to think deeply, be patient, and focus. Reading a book or setting aside time for a long feature film now seems like an old habit. Since no one watches documentaries longer than 30 minutes, even the production of documentaries has come to a halt.
Think about it, when was the last time you got lost in a book and forgot how time passed?
This culture is showing its effect more and more every day in Turkey as well. Even 10-minute YouTube content is now considered long. Even 140-character tweets can exceed our attention span. Posts longer than two paragraphs are unnecessary and boring.
Just like the fast-consumption culture in cities: Simit, tea, and toasts eaten on the go... Slow eating has been replaced by quick bites, and slow thinking has been replaced by fast scrolling.
THE SOLUTION: DIGITAL DETOX AND CONSCIOUS CONSUMPTION
Perhaps the solution lies in managing digital consumption consciously. This does not just mean reducing social media usage; it also requires being careful in content selection. Because our brain exists to learn what is valuable and to deepen, not to consume constantly.
We need to ask ourselves this question: “Are we investing in our minds, or are we consuming them?”
While there is a limit to what we can do personally against giant social media firms that organize their algorithms to increase the time we spend on screens using the data they collect about us, it may be possible to rein in these companies by collectively not consuming this low-quality, empty content.
Those who break free from the influence of dosage culture can find their way without getting lost in this digital wave. But to escape this digital captivity, individual effort is not enough; a social awakening is also required.
To avoid evolving into a zombie society that does not read and does not understand what it reads, we must rebuild mental awareness and implement a conscious digital diet against the manipulation of algorithms.