6 7 mustard, skibidi toilet rizz, alpha, sigma, low taper fade. What has the world turned into? Just by walking down the street or going to school, people will hear brainrot all around them. No one is safe, as one walks through a grocery store, they could hear elementary kids reciting lines they’ve heard online, giggling as they speak their own kind of language. One might argue that “They’re so young, they’ll grow out of it, don’t worry.” But when will it stop? When they are in middle school, or will it last even longer? Will they be joking with their friends in pre-calculus, talking about “raise your ya ya ya”?
This new type of language is all over the place, from TikTok to Instagram; it’s everywhere. Hannah Baysinger, Spanish teacher, has been teaching at the high school for four years now, having graduated only in 2019. That seems like not that long ago, but it truly was; that was before COVID, and it was the year TikTok became popular. When Baysinger was young, there were some sources of media, but they weren’t really used. She used to go through a day with no phone and just be in the moment with the people around her. She said, “When I was in high school, social media was either very new or didn’t exist the way it does today. I had Snapchat, which wasn’t widely used, Twitter, Facebook, and towards the end of high school, I got Instagram.” Even though she had all of these platforms, she didn’t use them; she just enjoyed life without the distraction.
With all of the recent advancements in the world, technology is way different from what it used to be. It’s taking over the world. People can have a computer tell them how to do almost anything they need to do. As time has gone on, tech has evolved into something that is honestly weird not to have one at all times. Baysinger said, “Back then, it wasn’t such a big part of our lives, so it didn’t have the same influence on our time, attention, or friendships. It was refreshing because I didn’t have to worry about how I was portrayed on social media and what people would think of me.” Kids are ‘weird’ now if they don’t have a phone or any socials, but it used to be normal. Toddlers and children have access to all kinds of content on their devices. With a click of a button, they can be on TikTok and discover new trends to follow. Liam Kissling, junior, is known for being funny and light-hearted. He and his friends enjoy inside jokes about 6 7, and TikTok brainrot, but that’s not all he’s about. That’s something many people don’t know: students’ lives don’t just revolve around their phones; they do enjoy doing other things. One of his hobbies is to shoot airsoft, which he is very passionate about. Kissling said, “I’m on social media a lot and I like it, but I also have my own things I like to do outside of watching Instagram reels on my phone.”
Devices will now always be part of a teenager’s life, but people shouldn’t let them take over, even though it’s pretty easy to. Baysinger said, “Phones and social media aren’t going away, but you can choose how to use them. Don’t let brainrot steal your ability to think deeply, enjoy real friendships, and focus on goals. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later if you build self-control now.” Live life in the moment and don’t get distracted by the models on Instagram or the fake people on TikTok. Because life will pass a person by in the blink of an eye, and if they’re closed off for too long, they can miss the most beautiful moments in life.
