Internet “brain rot” has taken over everything
The memes have nuked our culture.
The New York Times Magazine
April 10, 2026

A selection of comments on this week’s essay from Willy Staley, story editor for the magazine:

“This is perhaps the most terrifying New York Times article I’ve ever read.”

“These types of articles make me kind of glad that I will not be alive to see the future.”

“Everyone needs to drive out to the coast, take a few deep breaths while gazing out into one of mother nature’s most alluring and beautiful sights and just hurl their phones into the ocean."

Read the column on how internet “brain rot” has taken over… well, everything:

THE WEEK IN COLUMNS

On Language

How Did ‘Gatekeeping’ Become a Cardinal Sin?

Screenland

Why Am I Watching People Get Their Medical Results?

A photo illustration featuring black-and-white images of Donald Trump, U.S. soldiers and birds flying around a plume of smoke, bisected by a red-and-white illustration of a flying drone.

The Context

America Is Used to Hiding Its Wars. Trump Is Doing the Opposite.

The Context

The Next Phase of the Immigration Crackdown Is Quieter — and More Destabilizing

The Ethicist

My Brother Keeps Falling for Online Romance Scams. Should I Bail Him Out Again?

Judge John Hodgman

Forks in the Dishwasher — Tines Up or Down?

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