Entertainment evolves. Our ancestors told stories to their descendants and painted on cave walls. As we became more civilized, our entertainment also advanced. We started to act in plays, conduct orchestras, and write thick novels that high school students dread reading. In the modern age, entertainment evolved into television, music studios, and comics.Â
Now, that has evolved into something we are not prepared for: short-form content, streaming, and memes. Brainrot.Â
Every generation has witnessed some evolution of entertainment that the older generations protested against. “Don’t listen to rock n’ roll!” may have been a common refrain back in the 60’s, but the people saying that were probably told “stop watching TV!” by their parents. So when I say, “Stop consuming brainrot!” I know some might think I’m simply failing to catch up to the times.
But it’s different this time.
The key difference between brainrot and other forms of numbing the mind is who the creator is and what their goal is. Thanks to recent advances in technology, creating content that has impressive reach has become significantly easier for the average person. Phones come with cameras, editing software is more accessible, and social media helps this content reach people easily. This is great for aspiring entertainers who have powerful tools to accomplish their dreams. For you, however, this is bad news. A lot of the entertainment you consume online could be made by literally anyone. There’s hardly any quality control. You will inevitably get questionable content that is either loaded with misinformation, intentionally inflammatory, or of extremely low quality. This contrasts older forms of entertainment such as television dramas made by production companies that are careful about what they make, or novels that were revised by their author, edited by an experienced editor, and then approved by the publisher. These forms of entertainment go through more filters before it reaches you—there’s more quality control.Â
So take your pick: would you rather scroll on your phone for an hour or watch a TV show for an hour? If you pick the first option, you’ll get a diverse array of information. You will definitely get some funny stuff, maybe some wholesome videos of a cat becoming friends with… I don’t know, a mouse? You’ll also get some memes, some stuff that makes you mad, and some stuff that makes you go “WTF.” If you pick the second option, you can choose what type of TV show you would like to watch. You’ll evade the uncertainty of “will this make me feel bad?” You might even learn a few things about different industries depending on the show (think medical dramas, corporate dramas, and more!). They can even be inspiring. Overall, you’ll have a better experience with entertainment that has been made with lots of effort, research, and passion.Â
If you are bored or need to distract yourself from life, stop settling for bad entertainment. You run the risk of being influenced negatively and feeling worse about yourself. You will see lots of things you were better off not seeing. For entertainment purposes, go for well-made shows, documentaries, and books (audiobooks have been a gamechanger for me). You’ll feel better after.