Issue 61: Dossier

Illustration by Rose Wong



6-7

A functionally meaningless term with broad contemporary use, 6-7 has its origins in the song “Doot Doot (6 7)” by Skrilla, which commonly features in viral video edits of the 6’7″ basketball player LaMelo Ball. Because of its semantic ambiguity, 6-7 is commonly cited as an example of a “brain rot” meme.

Aura

Measured in points, “aura” refers to what another generation might have called “the ‘it’ factor” or “swagger.” Embarrassing acts cause one to lose aura points, while suave, cool, and effortless moves might prompt a “+100 aura points” response.

Brain rot

The Oxford Word of the Year for 2024, “brain rot” describes the deterioration of one’s mental state due to overconsumption of online content, especially memeified material. The first usage of the phrase appears in Henry David Thoreau’s Walden (1854), though today it is more likely to be used in reference to something like the surreal Skibidi Toilet animated web series.

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