Introduction
Tralalero Tralala, Bombardino Crocodilo, Tung Tung Tung Tung Sahur — no, these are not newly discovered animal species, nor are they spells ripped from a rejected Harry Potter draft.
They are the names of some fictional AI-generated characters known as “brain rot” that have flooded the Internet and, somehow, wormed their way into the daily lives of Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and even some millennials.
From Skibidi Toilet to Only in Ohio memes to the ever-repeating Tralalero Tralala, this bizarre wave of content is part of what many now call the “brain rot” phenomenon.
At first, I thought these memes would stay trapped in the Internet’s weird corners. But I was wrong. Walking through the streets of Debrecen, Hungary (yes, a quiet little town far from the chaos of TikTok trends), I came across not one, but two kids chanting “Tralalero Tralala” and “Tung Tung Tung Sahur” like it was their second nature.
That was my wake-up call: the Internet’s absurdities are not just staying online—they are bleeding into real life and becoming a serious concern for how children experience the world.
Origins
It is fascinating – and frankly a little alarming – that over 37,000 people in 2024 voted for “brain rot” to be Oxford’s Word of the Year.
Defined as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of online content”, the term hits harder when you stop laughing and actually think about it.
But how did we end up here?
Decades ago, experts predicted we would have flying cars by 2025. Instead, what we have now are AI-generated images clogging up our online spaces and even leaking into mainstream journalism. Somewhere along the line, we took a wrong turn at Innovation Avenue and ended up in Meme Town.
Historically, the term brain rot is not new—it dates back to 1854, when Henry David Thoreau used it in his book Walden to describe society’s tendency to dumb down complex ideas.
Frankly, it is no surprise the phrase has clawed its way back into popular use, now fuelled by an endless flood of digital content accessible to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
Today, brain rot lives not in dusty old philosophy books but as viral memes, usually in the form of low-quality, AI-generated images combining animals, objects and fruits, all paired with absurd “Italian” names like Frigo Camelo or Ballerina Cappucina.
These memes are often accompanied by generic voice-overs and random Italian music, spreading quickly across social media. Content creators have even upped the ante by adding “backstories” or “lores” to these bizarre characters, with some even placing them in tournament-style brackets with crude animations.
Paradox
While these memes seem harmless, they can carry hidden dangers. Some variations of Tralalero Tralala, for example, have voice-overs that include phrases that can be interpreted as blasphemous (“porco dio e porco Allah”—pig god pig Allah). Meanwhile, Bombardilo Crocodilo have voice-overs that say “bombarda i bambini a Gaza e in Palestina” —bomb the children in Gaza and Palestine.
Such content, while seemingly absurd, can desensitise viewers to sensitive issues, particularly when it involves religious themes.
In an era of unlimited access to information, abundance has produced a poverty of wisdom. Novés called it the “paradox of digital knowing”—the more we consume, the less we truly understand. In this context, brain rot is the clearest proof, as our minds are overloaded with low-value, disposable content, crowding out the meaningful knowledge we actually need.
The real irony? We are not forced into this—we choose it. In a world where millennials, Gen Z and Gen Alpha are pushed into exhausting 9-to-5 routines just to survive, the easiest escape is a mindless scroll through social media. The addiction is pure and simple, and in many cases, it outruns traditional addictions such as drugs.
Some creators have even captured the absurdity: there are sketches where addicts do not beg for cigarettes or drinks but for “just one more scroll”.
Doomscrolling
Social media is now the main reason people use the Internet. This is not speculation; it is a reality backed by usage numbers, with Indonesia ranking the third highest Southeast Asian country in terms of social media consumption.
Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are deliberately engineered to maximise user engagement and screen time, encouraging constant scrolling to keep users trapped in the cycle.
This design has given rise to what is now known as the brain rot behaviour. Doomscrolling – the compulsive, endless consumption of low-value content – has become a daily routine for millions. As screen time increases, so does the grip of brain rot.
Research shows that excessive screen exposure is linked to a decline in the microstructural integrity of the brain’s white matter tracts—areas critical for language development, executive function and emerging literacy. In short, our brains are being physically rewired by our inability to disconnect.
The overconsumption of low-quality content has serious cognitive consequences. As people mindlessly scroll, they struggle to organise information, solve problems and think analytically. Memory and recall begin to fade, and what seemed like harmless entertainment slowly dismantles higher-order cognitive functions.
The effects worsen over time. Chronic exposure to this digital sludge leads to emotional desensitisation, cognitive overload and a negative self-concept. Meanwhile, executive functions – such as memory, planning and decision-making – deteriorate under the weight of constant, meaningless information.
Brain rot is no longer just a metaphor; it is a clinical reality. And yet, we continue to walk straight into it, eyes wide open, phones in hand.
Legal Implications
The presence of brain rot content on the Internet inevitably raises legal concerns, particularly in the areas of content moderation, data privacy and intellectual property.
Content moderation is the most relevant yet least impactful legal issue. While laws target graphic or obscene content, brain rot content does not always fit these categories, making enforcement difficult.
If such content violates basic human rights, like freedom of religion or blasphemy, platforms should consider flagging it as offensive. However, the dilemma lies in whose values the platforms should prioritise—those of the platform or its users?
In terms of data privacy, brain rot content is fuelled by algorithms that exploit user data to maximise engagement. While the European Union has imposed stricter regulations on data collection, elsewhere, countries with weaker laws struggle to control data privacy, as they lack bargaining power with social media companies.
Regarding intellectual property, brain rot characters may present future copyright concerns if they are commercialised. For example, if AI-generated images lead to movies or books, legal questions arise about who holds the rights to these works.
Escaping Brain Rot
Escaping brain rot is not complicated—it is just incredibly difficult. It demands what most people today have in short supply: discipline and self-control. The endless scroll is not just designed to waste your time; it is engineered to hijack your impulses.
Getting out of it is not about finding the perfect productivity app or the right digital detox hack but about choosing to stop feeding the addiction.
Recovering from brain rot naturally starts with cutting down social media use. This means actively limiting screen time, not just talking about it. Some platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, even offer built-in features that allow users to set daily usage limits.
But let us be honest: if you do not have the willpower to respect those limits, it is like locking the cookie jar and leaving the key next to it. You will override the limit with two taps and a half-hearted apology to yourself. Taking a real break from social media has also been proven effective. Strategies range from scheduling tech-free hours, turning off notifications or – for those who actually want results – deleting the most toxic apps entirely. It sounds extreme, but sometimes extreme measures are the only way to disrupt an addiction engineered to be stronger than your natural defences.
