Editors’ Picks
Police department brings changes for road safety pg. 3 The power of petitions in student advocacy pg. 5 Studio Raindrops sculpts success with Emma Liu’s creations pg. 8 Californian Democrats push for ‘Trumpproofed’ policies pg. 17
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Coaches Ajay Singh and Ajit Vijayakumar play in the past and present pg. 18
Volume 60 Issue 4 | February 03, 2025
Lynbrook High School, 1280 Johnson Ave., San Jose, CA
BRAIN ROT
The problem with turning everything into a joke pg. 9 How brain rot has shaped American consumer society pg. 10 The marginalized-to-mainstream pipeline of online slang pg. 11 Doomscrolling away from reality pg. 12
Doomscrolling away from reality BY IRENE HWANG AND QIANZI LOO
C
ollapsing onto their bed after a stressful school day at Lynbrook, a student absentmindedly opens their phone. From one Instagram reel to another, the clock suddenly strikes 3 a.m., but all they can remember are the Costco guys bringing the BOOM! and propaganda to buy “property in Egypt.” Once again, they have scrolled to their DOOM! — their senses bombarded by vivid colors and exotic noise, overstimulated by the onslaught of brain rot. This instance reflects a widespread generational epidemic: doomscrolling. The incessant need to scroll and overstimulate the mind has grown amid the rise in social media and technology use. Generation Z and Generation Alpha, in particular, have developed habits that reinforce this digital overload, leading to lasting psychological effects. In other words, “we’re cooked.” Brain rot can be found on almost every social media platform, particularly Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. While generally nonsensical, this type of content is highly addictive. In a survey given to staff and students, 75.2 percent, or 203 of 270 Lynbrook respondents, reported that they sometimes or often scroll through social media or watch videos when they feel bored. Story continued on pg. 12 || centerspread
Graphic illustrations by Vidushi Upadhyay and Eileen Zhu