As we have discussed several times already, the Internet experience is significantly become worse almost by the day now. YouTube is quickly becoming a junkyard of unwatchable SLOP, Zero Hedge which I used to follow closely thanks to its valuable and counter-cyclical, not to say contrarian, market comments is overwhelmed by mainstream propaganda, not to mention the monstrosities that TikTok, Instagram and Facebook have become with their addictive "reel" systems which measurably "rot" the brain of younger people as described below.
To be honest, the Internet never approached even remotely the transparency promised in the early days. Quickly Google realized the power of becoming the gateway and soon after dropped its "Don't be Evil" modus Operandi. But that was only the manipulative aspect of things and was to some extent to be expected.
What was less clear, is that no social responsibility whatsoever was to be expected from the main tech and social platform players which would optimize income over any other consideration year after year defeating local, national laws thanks to their international structure and immense financial means.
Where do we go from there? I am afraid that just as the last 20 years saw the transformation from citizen to consumer, the next 20 years will see a shift from consumer to slave. A modern, technological version of the old status, but something people 2,000 years ago would have readily recognized as such.
TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts Induce Measurable “Brain Rot”
January 2nd, 2026Via: Focal Points:
Now, a peer-reviewed paper titled, Demystifying the New Dilemma of Brain Rot in the Digital Era: A Review, confirms that brain rot is real: the digital environment is chemically, cognitively, and psychologically degrading the developing human brain. And the damage is measurable.
The review shows that young people now average 6.5 hours per day online — primarily on algorithm-driven platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and endless-scroll feeds engineered for split-second novelty.
Most of the content involves rapid, low-information stimuli: ultrashort videos, memes, reaction clips, and trivial entertainment fragments that provide novelty without cognitive substance.
These platforms deliver rapid bursts of artificially rewarding stimuli, creating a cycle of:
Constant cognitive overstimulation
The brain never enters a “rest” mode or deeper thought state.
Weakening of working memory
Information is consumed too quickly to be consolidated.
Fragmented attention networks
Short-form content trains the mind to expect constant novelty.
Difficulty processing long or complex information
Deep reading and sustained focus become neurologically harder.
Mental fatigue & reduced executive function
Chronic overstimulation taxes the prefrontal cortex — the center of planning, reasoning, and self-regulation.
The study describes this as a shift from healthy, top-down cognitive control to bottom-up, dopamine-seeking impulsivity.
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