BRAIN ROT ALERT

Are Gen Z truly doomed when it comes to attention span, or are they just evolving for a hyper-fast digital world? Either way, let us hope they make it to the end of this blog, before getting distracted.

By Prerna Arora

Gone are the days when people used to sit down with an actual book, and read it—not just to study, but for fun. Welcome to the age of brain rot, where attention spans barely outlast a TikTok and anything without captions gets skipped.

Nowadays, it is all about scrolling through social media, they are under the illusion where they believe influencers are the new journalists. They believe whatever they see on Instagram without checking if it is true or not, but that doesn’t seem to matter anymore.

Welcome to the brain rot generation where screens dominate and attention fades.
Illustrated by: Prerna Arora

Whether it is a world event like the Los Angeles fire breakout that happened on January 7, 2025, or a celebrity drama like the Aryan Khan drug case, it is all right there in reels. No need to go searching for anything. “It’s all on social media. If something is important, it will show up on my feed,” says 17-year-old Saisha Talwar, a 12th-grade commerce student studying at Lotus Valley International School, Noida.

This habit has made most Gen Zs rely fully on algorithms to stay informed. If the feed doesn’t show it, they assume it’s not worth their attention. There’s no curiosity to know or understand anything, they don’t even try to stay updated on important things like politics, the economy, or world issues.

Traditional media or new tech- are we thinking before choosing?
Illustrated by: Prerna Arora

“I don’t really care about politics, stuff like that doesn’t interest me,” says Yakshi Awana, a 12th-grade humanities student at Cambridge School, Noida. “I am more into things like who got eliminated in Roadies. That’s the real drama I keep up with.”

Honestly, Yakshi isn’t alone. A large part of Gen Z is more invested in reality shows, influencer drama, and celebrity weddings — rather than what’s going on in the world. Serious issues get ignored simply because they’re not exciting, dramatic, or entertaining enough to hold their attention.

It’s not like Gen Z doesn’t have opinions; they definitely do. You’ll find them fighting in comment sections like it’s the Olympics. But the problem is, most of those opinions are built on half-read captions and 10-second clips. Real awareness takes effort; unfortunately, effort isn’t their thing.