Flushed but not gone: Brainrot and AI slop as abject excess in data-intensive capitalism
European Journal of Cultural Studies
Published online on July 23, 2026
Abstract
European Journal of Cultural Studies, Ahead of Print.
In recent years, terms such as “brainrot,” “sludge content,” and “AI slop” have emerged almost simultaneously to describe the accelerating decay of the Internet: trashy content propelled by algorithmic dullness appears to be choking the once-vibrant ...
In recent years, terms such as “brainrot,” “sludge content,” and “AI slop” have emerged almost simultaneously to describe the accelerating decay of the Internet: trashy content propelled by algorithmic dullness appears to be choking the once-vibrant ...