How many hours do you spend on your phone?
I’m embarrassed to share that my screen time is upwards of seven hours.
Needless to say, I’m no stranger to brainrot, and I’m guessing you aren’t either. But if you haven’t heard of the term yet, it’s a slang term for the mental fogginess, reduced attention span, and cognitive fatigue caused by consuming excessive amounts of low-quality, fast-paced online content. The term “slop” is often used to describe that genre of content.
The rise of brainrot is in accordance with research showing that an individual’s average attention span on a digital devices have declined from 2.5 minutes in 2004 to 47 seconds in 2024.
That’s why BookXcess, a bookseller in Malaysia, has launched an experimental campaign entitled the “Book Un-Rot Library,” designed to tackle shrinking attention spans among young people.
Videos from the The Brain Un-rot Library campaign are already live on BookXcess’ TikTok account. Source: BookXcess
This anti-brainrot content is a trojan horse
Through this initiative, BookXcess is releasing story-driven book content on TikTok, designed to gradually build longer attention and encourage sustained reading.
Comprising 100 of the worlds best loved books, The Brain-Un Rot Library is being released over the next few weeks.
Using the fast-paced and deliberately random format of brain rot, it re-engineers the content to foster engagement with compelling narratives from real books, by real authors — but retold in native Gen-Z language.
The format also progressively makes the text on screen longer and the details richer.
The aim is to gradually re-train brains, ultimately guiding viewers back to immersive reading, longer focus and, ultimately, books.
Alongside the digital rollout, BookXcess has also introduced a physical Brain Un-Rot Island at The Library by BookXcess at Sunway Square, Malaysia, with more to be rolled out nationwide.
The panellists spoke to an audience comprising educators, students, media, and even concerned parents. Source: BookXcess
What academics think about brainrot
During the launch of the event, there was a panel discussion with experts, including:
- Dr Stijn Massar, a Research Assistant Professor with the Sleep & Cognition Lab at the National University of Singapore (NUS)
- Dr Catherine Lee Cheng Ean, Associate Professor, School of Communication and Media Studies, Sunway University
- Malaysian author Michael Low
- Jacqueline Ng, co-founder of BookXcess
On the panel, Ng pointed out that she’s been informed that in the Philippines, 24.8 million Filipinos aged 10 to 64 were considered functionally illiterate (lacking comprehension for daily tasks) as of 2024. That was a shocking number to her – a number that could be exacerbated with the rise of brainrot.
Prof. Stijn Massar, National University of Singapore, also commented on the phenomenon of brainrot: “Our own research shows that people spend an average of six hours per day on their phones. Short-form video and endless scrolling are designed to make us increasingly hungry for flashy content and quick rewards. That means many people now don’t have the patience to sit through a 90-second video, let alone read a book.”
But as discussed by the panellists during the Brain-Un Rot Library launch, reading and physical books can help reclaim our attention and rekindle our curiosity for thoughtful, meaningful, and deep engagement with written content.
Distinguished Professor Dr Lim Weng Marc, Dean of Sunway Business School and Youngest Professor in the Malaysia Book of Records, also adds in a welcome speech, “We see firsthand how constant device use impacts our students’ ability to sustain focus in lectures and during independent study.”
“Attention fragmentation doesn’t just affect reading; it affects memory retention, critical thinking, and overall academic performance,” he says.
What I think as a fellow Gen Z who might be falling victim to brainrot
@bookxcessShe can’t speak. He can’t see. And somehow they can still understand each other?? 📖Greek Lessons Use UNROT10 for 10% off in our stores #redditstories #reddit_tiktok #reddit #wildconfessions #redditreading #relationships #love♬ original sound – BookXcess Official
To be honest, I was totally sceptical about this idea at first. Fighting brainrot with brainrot? Felt like a boomer attempt at being relevant.
But I had to hear them out. And when I did, I realised that it would be disingenuous to reduce their efforts to just more brainrot.
While the anti-brainrot BookXcess’ videos might look like another brainrot video at first, it’s kind of like a Trojan Horse (speaking of which, Homer’s Odyssey might just be on their reading list).
Over the course of the video, the distracting background typical of brainrot content fades to become a plain screen. The words also grow longer. This is to overall reengineer our focus, making use of neuroplasticity to slowly extend our attention span.
You might argue that with a simple swipe, the user might be taken right back into more distracting content, but the idea is to meet users where they are and try to engage their curiosity.
Right now, they are tracking the success of this campaign through discount codes. Those who watch to the end of the videos will be shown a unique discount code.
But as BookXcess co-founder Jacqueline Ng shares, it’s less about creating a sales conversion funnel but more about being a part of movement that brings people back to books as a concept.
“I cannot say that this experiment will be 100% success, but [it would be successful] even if it can bring 10 people or 50 people,” Ng says.
As cynical as I was at first, I do sincerely hope that this campaign helps a few people escape the rot and find solace in a good read.
