Gen Z's Digital Mind Map: When “Brain Rot” Becomes a Warning Bell
“Brain rot”, a cognitive impairment syndrome caused by excessive exposure to toxic digital content, is increasingly evident in the lives of young people. Faced with this situation, a group of students from FPT University Hanoi has chosen a different approach: bringing this issue into the creative art space. The installation exhibition “Cuon hay Cuon” is part of the MIND BACK communication project, combining visual art and interactive technology to raise awareness of “brain rot” - not only as an individual phenomenon, but also as a sign of a generational lifestyle. At the same time, the exhibition raises the issue of information consumption habits in the digital age, opening up a space for dialogue and reflection.
The installation exhibition “Roll or Roll” is part of the MIND BACK communication project, combining visual art and interactive technology to raise awareness about “brain rot”.
Sharing with Travellive, Vuong Huyen Nhi - representative of the MIND BACK project said: "We want to bring the message to young people in a creative, close and true way in the language of Gen Z. MIND BACK was born from familiar experiences: impatience, distraction, emptiness after hours of surfing social networks. The project is a call for young people to choose to be awake instead of being swept away, change their habits of consuming digital content and help the brain find its rightful place in a more enlightened present."
“Junk Brain” – a brain tightly wrapped with chaotic information strings, a metaphor for cognitive saturation
“Brain rot” is a global keyword, referring to mental and intellectual decline due to excessive exposure to poor quality digital content. According to a research report, this phenomenon has increased by 230% within 1 year (2023 - 2024) and was chosen by Oxford as “Word of the Year 2024”, showing the urgency of the mental crisis that is happening silently but seriously. In Vietnam, although “brain rot” has been mentioned in the media, public awareness, especially among young people, is still limited. Therefore, the MIND BACK project was born with the desire to raise awareness and change the digital content consumption habits of young people. This is a creative initiative, a fusion of art - media - modern psychology.
The project is a call for young people to choose to be awake instead of being swept away, to change their habits of consuming digital content.
"Scroll or Roll": The Impact of Digital Content Through Interactive Art
"Scroll or Roll" is designed as a journey of inner exploration, each step in the exhibition is a collision with familiar slices of the phenomenon of "brain rot" - from unconscious doomscrolling to the feeling of emptiness after hours of consuming meaningless content. With a unique art space, the exhibition combines installation art and interactive technology elements, giving attendees direct, creative and suggestive experiences.
"Roll or Roll" is designed as a journey of inner discovery.
12 installations with strong visual metaphors lead viewers not only to see but also to touch and feel how the “brain rot” works in their minds. Typical works include:
- “Cuon Coil” – describes the endless newsfeed that drags us into a doomscrolling vortex;
- “Junk Brain” – a brain tightly wrapped with chaotic information strings, a metaphor for cognitive saturation;
- “Data Rain” – recreating the fatigue of the rain of confusing information;
- “The Mind” – questions whether social media is liberating or imprisoning our thinking.
Along with works such as “Mountain of Garbage Information”, “Unopened”, “Backlog”, “Priceless”, each step in the exhibition is like a whisper: are you being swept away by digital content, or are you really being drawn into the information explosion of the digital age?
Data storm
The exhibition is not only a display space but also an emotional journey. The colors, sounds, and paths are carefully calculated from a modern psychological perspective, aiming to create a light but deep touch, making viewers not only look but also reflect on how they are living in today's digital whirlwind.
Gen Z lives in a world of images, emotions and quick reactions, so the call to “use less social media” will not be enough without a truly impactful experience. According to the project representative, the biggest challenge is how to make people recognize “brain rot”, a phenomenon of decreased attention, creativity and connectivity due to consuming too much toxic digital content because it happens silently. Only when we lose patience with a long paragraph or cannot concentrate for more than a few minutes, do we clearly feel the consequences. The exhibition does not call for immediate change, but hopes that each person will have a moment of self-reflection when tired of a myriad of information, remembering the feeling of suffocation from “Data Rain” or the emptiness in “Backlog”.
The message of MIND BACK is to choose to be mindful, not to turn away from technology but to learn to live more proactively and selectively in the digital world. The project is expanding to schools, youth centers and many other community spaces, with the goal not of changing the whole generation but of helping each young person understand themselves, thereby building a healthier digital environment, not because of less technology but because of more awareness.
Clinical psychologist Master Vu Van Thuan (Central Psychiatric Hospital 1 & National Children's Hospital) said: "I have received many cases of children with reduced concentration and loss of social connection after the online learning period from Covid-19. It seems like a teenage crisis but is actually the result of indiscriminate consumption of digital content. This is 'brain rot' - a real, painful problem that needs to be taken seriously."
The exhibition is not only a display space but also an emotional journey of experience.
Not avoiding the truth, Mr. Huy Pham - Head of Content at METUB Network - warned: "If you don't want to be 'brain-rotten', don't let artificial intelligence misunderstand your behavior. Quickly scroll through, report if necessary and don't interact with useless content. Because every view, every like contributes to what you want to avoid."
The installation art exhibition “Cuon hay Cuon” takes place from July 26 to 30 at the Vietnam Fine Arts Exhibition House (16 Ngo Quyen, Hanoi). This is an initiative to raise awareness about “brain rot” and call on young people, especially Gen Z, to reconsider their habit of consuming unfiltered digital content. At the same time, it is also a call to awaken: dare to question yourself, “detox” from toxic content and join hands to build a healthier digital environment for individuals and the community.
This is an initiative to raise awareness of “brain rot” and call on young people, especially Gen Z, to reconsider their unfiltered digital content consumption habits.
