Brain Rot in the Digital Age: A Reflective Review of Short-Form Video Consumption and Cognitive Habits
Keywords:
short-form video, attention, inhibitory control, memory, digital media, reflective review, LibyaAbstract
The popular expression “brain rot” captures concern that repeated exposure to fast, highly stimulating online content may make sustained thinking more difficult. This reflective narrative review examines what current evidence does and does not show about short-form video (SFV) use, attention, memory, and learning. A targeted, non-systematic search of indexed and publisher sources identified recent SFV-specific studies, a 2025 systematic review and meta-analysis, foundational cognitive theory, and one Libyan study of general social-network use. The meta-analysis combined 71 studies and 98,299 participants and reported associations between greater SFV use and poorer cognitive outcomes (r = −.34), especially attention (r = −.38) and inhibitory control (r = −.41). These are associations, not estimates of permanent damage or proof of causation. Direct studies remain methodologically varied: a small EEG study found a task-related neural association but no significant relationship with behavioral attention-network performance, while a cross-sectional Jordanian survey linked problematic SFV use with attention and self-reported memory. Evidence on memory, reasoning, and long-term change remains comparatively limited. The review proposes a framework in which platform features and viewing patterns may influence attention allocation and encoding, conditional on individual and contextual factors. Short videos can also support microlearning, public communication, and accessibility when content and use are purposeful. In Libya, available studies describe social-media habits rather than SFV-specific cognitive outcomes. The defensible conclusion is that intensive or automatic use is associated with selected cognitive measures, while causal direction, practical magnitude, and long-term consequences remain uncertain.
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