It is the 2nd day of January.
…a growing body of scientific evidence over the past decade suggests that consuming mind-numbing content, from sources ranging from algorithmically driven social media junk to sensationalist news, can literally reduce the physical gray matter in our brains. That’s along with wreaking other pernicious effects like shortened attention spans and weakened memory.
Netflix execs have been telling their screenwriters to have characters “announce what they’re doing” so that viewers who have a program on in the background can follow along without having to miss plot strands. There’s barely been any pushback, until now.
Several screenwriters, who’ve worked for the streamer, are telling the outlet that a common note from company executives is to have characters purposely lay out exposition to the wandering viewer. After all, focusing your time on a 90-minute movie is certainly not an option for the token Netflix viewer.
But what is brain rot for? E Paul Zehr accidentally suggests an answer while in fact exhorting the reader to take a walk or do something that doesn’t shrink your brain:
If we consider rumination as a kind of manifestation of an inflammatory memory consolidation the answer may well be to deliberately do things that interfere with memory. The most effective thing is to stop thinking about events. This on its own is obviously very difficult, especially in times of heightened background stress like that over holidays and large social events. The best way forward is to do something else and thereby reduce the initial strengthening that would have occurred.
Brain rot: the defense against involuntary memory replay, constant low-level trauma and chronic overthinking.
“… and the breath of the whale is frequently attended with such an insupportable smell, as to bring on a disorder of the brain.”
MOBY-DICK, Melville
morning computer: some useful things first thing in the day.
My free weekly newsletter is at https://orbitaloperations.beehiiv.com/
Discover more from WARREN ELLIS LTD
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.