Welcome to the DITCHionary, where we explain all the words you need to know to stay in the loop
BEDROT
It’s something we’ve all done, wasting the day in bed, scrolling through Instagram, then TikTok, then Reddit, then Instagram again. Suddenly it’s 5pm, it’s dark outside and not a single thing has been ticked off your to-do list.
But at least you can say you’ve watched an entire series in 20 second TikTok clips
BRAINROT
Brainrot is what happens to your psyche when you’re addicted to low effort content that makes your brain go GRRBARKBARK BARK WOOF MEEOW, which is apparently not good. It’s the result of the endless scrolling that makes you lose track of time.
BRAINROT is oh god sorry just got distracted by scrolling twitter let’s start over
CLUB RAT
One who clubs messily. A club rat wakes up with ratty hair, make up still smeared across their face, and a distinct lack of ID/phone/bag. A club rat buys everyone tequila and is besties with the bouncer. Club rats are Charli XCX fans, bring sunnies to the bar, and their entire wardrobe consists of tiny tops.
The club rat drink of choice is a vodka redbull, or if it’s the end of the night, a blue VK.
DOOMSCROLLING
The doom in doomscrolling isn’t exclusively connected to the nature of the news being consumed, but the attitude of the scroller. You scroll for so long, and the content is so brainrot that the impending feeling of doom creeps up on you.
The doom’s creeping up on me, oh no. Just saw a TikTok of someone talking about Cocomelon. What is Cocomelon?
DE-INFLUENCING
We all know influencers love to tell us to buy the new viral this and that, right? Well, de-influencers are going against the grain and telling us to NOT buy it, simple as that.
DOOMSPENDING
What boomers would call retail therapy. People spend money on goods and services to cope with pessimism about the world, sometimes we just need to treat ourselves to those new jeans after we’ve had the worst week of our lives.
ECHO CHAMBERS
Online environments where you are only exposed to perspectives which reinforce your own beliefs. The algorithms play a huge part in feeding us content we already enjoy and limit exposure to other viewpoints. Yeah, that’s right, those weird thirst traps you’re watching aren’t being viewed by everyone.
FOMO
Stands for fear of missing out and is felt by nearly all of us at some point.This feeling is often made worse by social media when you see exactly what events you weren’t invited to – and worse, how much fun was had without you there.
You’re sitting at home, doomscrolling in bed, when suddenly you’re hit with the one Instagram story that makes your heart sink: your friends are all at the club… and you’re not.
GIRL DINNER
Emerging from July 2023, this TikTok trend used an excuse for picking whatever random foods you’re craving or have in the fridge and calling it dinner. The trend shows the way – mostly – women eat when they’re alone and don’t feel like cooking for hours.
Last night I had a jar of olives, a packet of Wotsits and a can of Coke… classic girl dinner.
GREENWASHING
The act of companies spending more time and money on marketing as environmentally friendly than actually being it. We’ve all seen the TV ads, the brand partnerships, the labels on packaging – but do we actually know where these products are coming from and how ethical they are?
MICRO TRENDS
Castle core, goblin core, fisherman core… any of these ring a bell? Micro trends are fast-growing trends, often created (and accelerated) by TikTok. They quickly rise to popularity, but crash and burn faster than you can say mob wife aesthetic.
MORNING SHED
Picture this: you wake up in the morning feeling refreshed, pull off your satin eye mask, tear off your nose tape, undo your hair curlers and immediately look runway ready. Sound familiar? No, didn’t think so. But this is what influencers are referring to as the morning shed – stripping yourself of all the pre-sleep paraphernalia you piled on the night before.
OFF-GRID
Living independently from public utilities such as electricity, water, gas, and sewage. Think Bear Grylls but without the film camera and the celebrities, and hopefully the drinking your own piss thing, but each to their own.
PHATIC
You know, those “How’s the weather?” or “How’s it going?” questions. No one really cares, but it’s the unspoken rule of social interaction to throw them out there.
It’s the “Hey, I’m here, you’re here, let’s say something to avoid the awkwardness of actually being alone with our thoughts.”
PHUBBING
Derived from “phone snubbing”, phubbing refers to the act of ignoring someone, in favour of scrolling, texting or swiping on your phone. Ever been on a date, got halfway through your drink and they still haven’t looked up from their screen once? Sounds like you’ve been phubbed.
UNDERCONSUMPTION CORE
It’s a trend all about appreciating what you already own, using it to death, and reconsidering how much we consume. It’s giving attachment issues but in a way that’s good for the environment.